BREAKING: Verizon employees hacked Obama's cell phone records

By GottaLaff

UPDATE: Now they're saying cell phone records, not cell phone. When they first broke the story, I transcribed it word for word. What can I say? Fixing the title.

UPDATE: It was Obama's personal flip-cell phone. No calls involved were from the last couple of weeks, since he gave the phone up awhile ago.

He was notified yesterday. The employees accessed his billing records, so had access to the phone numbers, both incoming and outgoing. No word if they leaked the information, nor on how many employees were involved. No word if they figured out his home number or any other numbers. They don't know the extent of this yet.

It's reminiscent of the passport breach awhile back. And Joe the Plumber's records have been violated, too.

An apology was issued.

ORIGINAL POST--
Just breaking on CNN:

The cell phone in question is not the phone he uses now, but an old one he used a few months ago. There is an investigation underway.

No Blackberry or email device was attached to it. Verizon employees went through his billing records, and could have shared his information. That is the speculation, but no facts yet to back that up. Obama has been notified, of course.

No criminal investigation by the Secret Service is being done.

Nobody monitored Obama's voice mail.

The Obama transition team is trying to downplay the criminal aspect, deciding whether to turn it over to a prosecutor.

UPDATE BY PADDY- Link to the CNN story here.

Verizon and AT&T Provided Cell Towers for McCain Ranch

By GottaLaff

Cindy McMealTicket is so used to getting what she wants, when she wants it, that she managed to acquire a portable Verizon cell site, usually reserved for emergencies (like, you know, hurricanes), so she and Gramm-pa could get cell phone service at one of their 719051 homes:

Early in 2007, just as her husband launched his presidential bid, Cindy McCain decided to resolve an old problem -- the lack of cellular telephone coverage on her remote 15-acre ranch near Sedona, nestled deep in a tree-lined canyon called Hidden Valley.

By the time Sen. John McCain's presidential bid was in full swing this summer, the ranch had wireless coverage from the two cellular companies most often used by campaign staff -- Verizon Wireless and AT&T.

Verizon delivered a portable tower know as a "cell site on wheels" -- free of charge -- to Cindy McCain's property in June in response to an online request from Cindy McCain's staff early last year. Such devices are usually reserved for restoring service when cell coverage is knocked out during emergencies, such as hurricanes.

I can't even get Verizon to give me good reception.

Ethics lawyers said Cindy McCain's dealings with the wireless companies stand out because Sen. John McCain is a senior member of the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees the Federal Communications Commission and the telecommunications industry. He has been a leading advocate for industry-backed legislation, fighting regulations and taxes on telecommunications services.

McCain and his campaign have close ties to Verizon and AT&T. Five campaign officials, including campaign manager Rick Davis, have worked as lobbyists for Verizon. Former McCain staffer Robert Fisher is an in-house lobbyist for Verizon and is volunteering for the campaign. Fisher, Verizon chief executive Ivan Seidenberg and company lobbyists have raised more than $1.3 million for McCain's presidential campaign and Verizon employees are among the top 20 corporate donors over McCain's political career, giving more than $155,000 to his campaigns.

McCain's Senate chief of staff Mark Buse, senior strategist Charles R. Black Jr., and several other campaign staffers have registered as AT&T lobbyists in the past. AT&T Executive Vice President Timothy McKone and AT&T lobbyists have raised more than $2.3 million for McCain. AT&T employees have donated more than $325,000 to McCain campaigns, putting the company in the No. 3 spot for career donations to McCain, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

Of course, they have no lobbyists associated with their campaign.

Verizon navigated a lengthy county regulatory process that hit a snag on environmental concerns. The request ultimately prevailed when Verizon invoked the Secret Service after John McCain secured the Republican nomination.

Toast.