Chamber of Commerce snoops on political opponents' kids

Chamber of Commerce lobbyists solicited firm to investigate opponents’ families, children

Read the article. This is approaching Mafia-level shit.

This tactic of targeting opponents’ personal lives and family was not simply a random event. Rather, it was a concerted and deliberate effort to use anything possible to smear the Chamber’s political opponents. To dramatize his firm’s intimidation tactics, Barr sent an email to Hunton & Williams attorney John Woods that contained personal details about fellow Hunton attorney Richard Wyatt, who was representing the Chamber. The email was intended to show Woods and Wyatt how “vulnerable” they are:

Those sorts of people don't seem to understand the concept of free democracy.

They should be tried for abuse of power.

I'll bet that no charges will be filed against anyone in this.

I'd bet that too, but they should be. If nothing else, this is blackmail.

So... do politicians just not care anymore of how they appear in the eyes of others, or are they just embracing the fact that everyone sees them as scum?

Both

Any other news sources.

This is the start of things; the documents they have are pretty damning.

See here for an indirect reference (search for "Hoffa was alluding to recent revelations that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce") and here for the story on the guys who cracked HBGary Federal.

edited 13th Feb '11 4:48:13 PM by RadicalTaoist

From the sound of it, Aaron Burr is just an incompetent attention whore.

edited 13th Feb '11 5:26:29 PM by storyyeller