Former aid to Senator Ingebrigtsen implicated in plot to bug U.S. senator

A former aid to State Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen, R-Alexandria, is implicated in a plot to bug the offices of U.S. Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu in New Orleans.

Joseph Basel, 24, was one of four men arrested by the FBI on Monday, along with James O’Keefe, a 25-year-old conservative filmmaker who gained fame for his undercover videos that damaged the credibility of a liberal group known as ACORN.

Basel helped with Ingebrigtsen’s successful Senate campaign run in 2006. He was assigned to the campaign by the Republican Senate Caucus, which is a common procedure in races that the caucus considers to be key, according to Ingebrigtsen.

When Ingebrigtsen learned of Basel’s arrest on Monday, he was flabbergasted.

“I had no idea,” Ingebrigtsen told the Echo Press Wednesday. “I was very shocked to see that he was involved in an alleged incident like this.”

Read Friday's Echo Press story for more details of the alleged crime and Ingebrigtsen's reactions.

Tags: crime news, joseph basel, mary landrieu, news, politics, telephone, bugging, acorn