GSA Scandal Just Got A Lot More Interesting

Thomas Lifson

Thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request by Judicial Watch, we now have a picture of White House blessing of a decision to have law enforcement “stand down” and not take action against Occupy protestors. A person at the center of the intervention is none other than Robert Peck, the GSA Public Buildings Commissioner who was fired for his role in the out of control Las Vegas bacchanalia. Peck has donated thousands of dollars to Democrat candidates, including Obama, and was implicated in an earlier scandal involving a suspiciously high rents paid to a Democratic donor. He was the middleman linking the White House to the order to stand down and let Occupy break the law with impunity.

Judicial Watch reports:

Judicial Watch announced today that it has obtained records from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) indicating that the General Services Administration (GSA), with the blessing of the Obama White House, instructed law enforcement officers to “stand down” and not arrest “Occupy Portland” protestors who were in violation of the law.

The records, obtained pursuant to a November 11, 2011, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, include internal DHS correspondence. One November 6, 2011, e-mail exchange between DHS/National Protection and Programs Directorate Chief of Staff Caitlin Durkovich and GSA Public Buildings Service Commissioner Robert Peck (who has since been fired) specifically related to Occupy Portland protests taking place on federal property in Portland:

I am sorry to be emailing you on a Sunday night, but wanted to let you know our Press Shop has received a couple of calls from Portland media outlets about a group of 11 protesters who again set up camp at Terry Shrunk Plaza in Portland last night. They have chained themselves to a large drum filled with concrete. GSA controls the permits and has asked FPS [Federal Protective Services] not to enforce the curfew at park and the prohibition on overnight encampments. Reporters have asked if we will be arresting the protestors as FPS did last week.

Our FPS Commander in Portland says they are standing down and following GSA’s request to only intervene if there is a threat to public safety.
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