I spoke with David Straretz in the Las Vegas FBI field office this morning. He couldn’t confirm the bureau was looking into Lieberman’s hacking claims — “We don’t confirm or deny whether we’re investigating any particular allegation or case. It’s just a matter of our policy” — but he had some interesting information.
Lieberman’s independent web consultant yesterday told me about a conversation he had with an FBI agent about the hacking claims; Straretz confirmed that bureau agents don’t do that kind of thing out of curiosity. “We’ve got enough work, agents aren’t just going to make calls,” he said. “If we have a lawful investigation, an agent will carry out his or her duties as assigned.”
Importantly, Straretz noted that if Lieberman “hacking” charges prove false, the FBI and federal prosecutors could pursue charges against those who reported them. “If it was fabricated and you could prove intent, there’s Title 18, Section 1001, which is providing false statements to an FBI agent. That can be prosecuted at the discretion of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
We’re still trying to track down details of the alleged “hack” and confirm the specs of Lieberman’s hosting setup; more as it develops.