The Associated Press article, “Feds seek records on Arpaio’s investigation involving judge,” isn’t about President Obama’s birth certificate, but it lands squarely in the middle of the Dennis Montgomery, Mike Zullo, Joe Arpaio can of birther worms opened up first by Stephen Lemons of the Phoenix New Times in June of 2014, and now to much wider audience by Judge G. Murray Snow in questioning last month during the Melendres v. Arpaio contempt hearing.
According to the AP report, the U.S. Department of Justice is seeking documents given by Montgomery (often called by the press, “the Seattle scammer”) to Arpaio’s team, documents allegedly taken from the CIA that show some kind of conspiracy between the DOJ and Judge Snow (and much more).
Sheriff Arpaio has conceded that the Montgomery material is “junk,” and I suspect the DOJ will do no more than confirm a hoax perpetrated by Montgomery. The request was revealed in a court filing today (29 May 2015) in ECF 1134:
AMENDED NOTICE re: Document Request by the U.S. Department of Justice. Earlier this week, the Court-appointed Monitor received a request from the United States Department of Justice to copy the documents and hard drives containing materials that Dennis Montgomery delivered to the Maricopa County Sherriff’s Office and that were allegedly harvested from the Central Intelligence Agency. The Department of Justice has requested to copy these hard drives on Tuesday, June 2, 2015 under the supervision of a court-appointed security officer. Should any Party wish to be heard regarding this request or procedure, it should immediately notify the Court with its comments or objections and the reasons therefore. Signed by Judge G Murray Snow on 5/29/2015 (KFZ)
The AP reports:
The sheriff’s office says its lawyer will file an objection to an order by Snow for lawyers to provide input on the documents.
From the Fogbow:
05/29/2015 1134 AMENDED NOTICE re: Document Request by the U.S. Department of Justice. Earlier this week, the Court-appointed Monitor received a request from the United States Department of Justice to copy the documents and hard drives containing materials that Dennis Montgomery delivered to the Maricopa County Sherriff’s Office and that were allegedly harvested from the Central Intelligence Agency. The Department of Justice has requested to copy these hard drives on Tuesday, June 2, 2015 under the supervision of a court-appointed security officer. Should any Party wish to be heard regarding this request or procedure, it should immediately notify the Court with its comments or objections and the reasons therefore. Signed by Judge G Murray Snow on 5/29/2015 (KFZ) (Entered: 05/29/2015)
Doc,
“Sheriff Arpaio has conceded that the Montgomery material is “junk,” and I suspect the DOJ will do no more than confirm a hoax perpetrated by Montgomery. The request was revealed in a court filing today (29 May 2015) in ECF 1134:”
And that will not be a good thing for Larry Klayman’s defamation lawsuit for Dennis Montgomery in Florida.
AP:
“Messages left with the Justice Department and Montgomery’s attorney weren’t immediately returned Friday.”
Are things going to get get worse for Shurf Joe? Here’s this little item from the west coast.
http://calcoastnews.com/2015/05/gesell-contemplating-run-against-joe-arpaio/
An opinion piece written by a possible challenger for Arpaio’s job.
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2014/12/03/3379696/a-shocking-and-growing-lack-of.html
I expected this to come second. I expected the C.I.A. to confiscate every data storage device accessible by Montgomery prior to any court filing with the court.
Stating that you have data from the C.I.A. is equivalent to a “kick me” sign which says “take all of my computers and discs”.
I’m curious about Montgomery’s alleged “supercomputer in the garage”. I suppose he just had some large boxes with blinkenlights to impress his marks.
I certainly wouldn’t expect the CIA to leave classified material out running around loose, and I’m surprised they or the FBI hasn’t acted before now. My personal opinion is that, like everything else about Montgomery, it was all a fraud and that he didn’t really have anything that amounted to anything, but I expect it will all come out eventually. I think it is more likely that Montgomery DOESN’T want anyone finding out what he was conning the Shurf with.
I doubt seriously that Montgomery had anything more than a bunch of junk computers or computer equipment since I am equally sure that neither Kommandant Zullo nor the Shurf would even have a clue about what they were looking at. They’d fall for that just like they fell for the rest of his scam.
OK, here’s one for the legal eagles:
Is Sheriff Joe, believing that Dennis Montgomery has information taken from the CIA, guilty of misprision of felony? 😯
The Magic M (not logged in)
May 31, 2015
“I’m curious about Montgomery’s alleged “supercomputer in the garage”. I suppose he just had some large boxes with blinkenlights to impress his marks.”
Maytag washing machine boxes with blinking lights and wind driven whirley gigs have always been known to look exactly like supercomputers, especially when set up next to a rusty 1963 Plymouth Valiant parked in the same garage. Corporal Zoo-Low had discovered the source of his “Universe Shattering” information.
just so i’m clear, you think snow will/would never recuse himself ? this new doj thing adds more dimension.
why cancel the june hearing so far away, which is also what i think this story is to birther, so far away. this is about character and politics, and i’m hoping not federal abuse of power.
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And I think Klayman personally doesn’t want anyone finding out what he himself put in writing…
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Are you saying that the birthers are actually complaining that the June contempt hearing dates have been cancelled? I’d have thought birthers would have liked this. They are creative complainers.
And Arpaio has shown he has no character. Why would Snow have to recuse himself?
In an age of National Security Letters and a chummy FISA Court, I expect that, if they had, we wouldn’t hear a peep about it until they’d been through enough material to make a public announcement that:
a. It’s a scam, or
b. They’ve indicted him.
A few rack-mounted servers would not only _look like_ a “supercomputer” to a rube like Zullo, they’d actually _be_ one by standards I’m old enough to remember.
Scott, the reason the DOJ is interested is because it appears multiple felonies have been committed by Arpaio and Montgomery. Not only has Arpaio fraudulently misused hundreds of thousands of dollars on a scam “investigation,” but it appears he was party to an attempt to illegally hack into the email accounts of federal agencies and a federal judge. Even though Montgomery scammed Arpaio with fake data, Arpaio is still likely guilty of obstruction of justice, conspiracy and racketeering. It doesn’t look good for him. Arpaio will probably be spending most of his remaining days in federal prison when all of this is over.
I refuse to take seriously a moron who writes in all lower case.
love this comment from “steven tyler” @ BR:
“Yet, Barry and the DOJ continue with a burning obsession to get Montgomery’s data, therefore, wasting time and resources going after the Montgomery Hard Drives!!!!! ”
i love that ONE request is a “burning obsession” and a waste of “time and resources”.
Still not primitive enough, I fear. To Zullo, what could pass as a “supercomputer” in Montgomery’s garage might be a total of 91 Commodore 64 Computers, arranged spaciously in 13 rows of seven computers, so that each computer functions, when slid correctly, as one of the beads on an abacus.
Amazing that the birthers aren’t concerned Arpaio was arranging to get information hacked from a federal government entity. They can’t seriously believe this was legal. It sounds more like fear to me.
And the most amazing thing is he did this to himself.
Whether he serves prison time or not, his legacy and, probably also his career, is destroyed and that is good enough for me.
O’l Joe seems to have started with bithing and graduated to full fledged paranoia that the Feds were conspiring to get him and he used his office to prove it.
You forget that judge snow said something like “Arpiao is an ass” to his wife and she repeated it on facebook to someone at some stage.
Also he is granting motions from the prosecutor and telling the Sheriff to actually answer questions, which shows he is biased against the noble sheriff.
Who knows? Roy Moore did have his comeback.
I
ODS is a devastating sickness.
Judge Snow issued some orders.
1. Snow ordered the monitor to not voluntarily comply with the DOJ’s requests. (Meaning: Wait for the judge to order compliance.)
2. Snow vacated the June hearing dates because of the pending recusal motion. So Arpaio wins his sought-after delay.
I see that Larry Klayman has filed a “supplement” to his accusations against Judge Snow, including a baseless allegation that Judge Snow had ex parte communications with Lemons during a lunch break. http://www.scribd.com/doc/267362776/Melendres-1140-Montgomery-Supp-to-1112-Motion-D-ariz-2-07-Cv-02513-1140-MontgomerySupp-to-PHV-Etc
Also, FYI, I note that Klayman has pending a post-summary-judgment motion to recuse the Judge in Klayman v City Pages, complaining that the Judge’s summary judgment order made too many references to Alice in Wonderland. http://www.scribd.com/doc/266710106/Klayman-v-CityPages-139-Motion-to-Recuse-M-D-fla-5-13-Cv-00143-139. In response, the defendants filed a short brief, citing other cases where Klayman filed recusal motions. http://www.scribd.com/doc/267245238/KlaymanvCityPages-140-Opp-to-Recusal-Motion-M-D-fla-5-13-Cv-00143-140-D-Opp-to-Recusal-Motion-w-Exhibit
(Thanks to Fogbow for this info)
This thing has Taitz written all over it, and I hope it equally leads to sanctions. Of course nothing Klayman says is of any effect since he’s not been admitted to practice in Arizona.
The item is in reference to a remark by the judge that he learned something over lunch, but it is absurd to think it came from Lemons.
Especially since earlier in the questioning the judge mentioned that his clerk had gone through about 50 of the more than 3,000 pages. Another admission via omission by Klayman.
Dr C,
“The item is in reference to a remark by the judge that he learned something over lunch, but it is absurd to think it came from Lemons.”
How in the world would he come up with this? As I understand it, Judge Snow has 12 monitors watching over Arpaio’s circus act. Clay-Man is just sore over Lemon’s articles.
doesn’t bode well for Maricopa County…. this account of events in Ferguson is shall we say creative. The writer likes to be obeyed, thank you, and would probably be as pro -white as Shurf Joe.
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Seems to me Klayman’s work is as baseless, slanderous, and unethical as Taitz.
BTW, in addition to the lunch thing, Klayman complains that the Justice Department improperly had ex parte communications with Judge Snow when it requested copies of Montgomery’s hard drive and records. This too is utter nonsense–I remember reading in one of the transcripts that Arpaio’s attorney advised Judge Snow that DOJ kept contacting her; everyone agreed (on the record) that the DOJ should contact Judge Snow or the Monitor rather than contacting the parties.
Oh, is that how it went? I defy you to find a single piece of evidence claiming that… because it isn’t true. What actually happened is that a woman posted on Arpaio’s Facebook that she met a long-time acquaintance in a restaurant who had made a statement about Arpaio to her, and the acquaintance was Judge Snow’s wife. (there is no proof this happened, even Arpaio’s guys apparently don’t believe this report was credible as they didn’t pursue it). – http://kjzz.org/content/131133/sheriff-arpaios-chief-deputy-we-did-not-investigate-judge%E2%80%99s-wife
Now, do you see how rumors get started and how you are WRONG?
Just give your sarcasm meter a little rap, it’ll probably work again. 🙂
Good point. I should remember birthers never learn from or admit mistakes.
Is it common for lawyers to use such inflammatory language in motions? While judges are expected to rise above such things, it still seems like whacking a hornet’s nest with a 1-foot stick.
(I suspect that most of Klayman’s filings like that are actually written for his fan base, not the courts with which they’re filed. But I also suspect it’s considered unseemly for a fellow lawyer to suggest that in public 😉 ).
So, I guess Larry will be filing a complaint with the bar association against Iafrate…
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No, of course it is not common, and it’s just stupid. How can lying and slandering be persuasive and result in a favorable order? (The Court is not Brtherstan).
No, turn the dial the other way.
I don’t think Larry’s “stick” is that long, Ran…
And even that is still a bit shady. Facebook posts can be faked/forged. Maybe that poor woman had no idea somebody registered another FB account under her name and made that post. This has “Taitz/Virgil” written all over it. After all, it worked for some time in Orly’s case, forcing a delay.
Maybe Arpaio thinks if he can drag this out until his re-election, or the election of El Presidente Rafael Cruz, the outcome won’t matter that much for him.
An affidavit was submitted with one of the legal briefs in Melendres by a detective who interviewed Grissom, confirming that she made the claim on Facebook. Grissom herself refused to give an affidavit. So I tend to believe that Grissom made the Facebook post. I also think it’s likely that she was lying when she made it.
Thanks for the info. 🙂
As a further piece, when the PI retained to do the interviews with Grissom then talked to her husband and son, who were also there, they told very different and rather contradictory stories.
IIRC from the plethora of documents that have been posted on this, the PI stated that there was no useable information in the statements made by Grissom’s various and it would have no possible value in a court of law
Or maybe just exaggerating.
The transcripts of the interviews with her and her husband were zibbits attached to Arpaio’s recusal motion.
Her recollection of the conversation when questioned was less strident than what she told Arpaio.
Her husband’s recollection was that there was no statement of “hatred”, and that the judge had formed an opinion that Arpaio didn’t belong in office _based on his actions as sheriff_.
There was nothing in the interviews to indicate whether that opinion had been formed before, during, or after the trial, so they’re not probative either way.
Dr. Conspiracy
June 3, 2015
“An affidavit was submitted with one of the legal briefs in Melendres by a detective who interviewed Grissom, confirming that she made the claim on Facebook. Grissom herself refused to give an affidavit. So I tend to believe that Grissom made the Facebook post. I also think it’s likely that she was lying when she made it.”
And then to make it perfectly clear, we find the following:
November 6, 2013 Tim Casey letter from Tim Casey (former Arpaio attorney ) to Sheriff Arpaio. ( Source, Phoenix New Times Article)
“I, [Tim Casey] therefore, respectfully recommend and strongly advise against any use of the Grissom information. Additionally, the Grissom information is so fundamentally flawed in its substance that it likely cannot be used in a Rule 60 motion, appeal, or otherwise, without the lawyer who does so violating the federal court’s rule of civil procedure and the Arizona Rules of Professional Conduct.”
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FYI, see Arpaio’s attorney’s response to Klayman’s supplement. http://www.scribd.com/doc/267647000/2015-06-03-Melendres-Et-Al-v-Arpaio-Et-Al-Arpaio-Response-to-Putative-Intervenor-Supp-to-MfR-D-ariz-2-07-Cv-02513-1145-01 :
“Putative intervenor’s attorneys Klayman and Mosley neither represent Sheriff Arpaio and Chief Deputy Sheridan, nor speak for the interests of MCSO in this action or in any proceeding related to this action.
Sheriff Arpaio and Chief Deputy Sheridan reject the vitriol and inflammatory attacks set forth in the putative intervenor’s supplement. Sheriff Arpaio and Chief Deputy Sheridan respect the Court and believe such ad hominem attacks have no place in this litigation.”
Very late to this party (there was a real one to attend) :
@bgansel9: SURANIS is not, I repeat, NOT a birther.