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Sen. Webb's Aide Arrested on Gun Charge

By Jeralyn, Section Other Politics
Posted on Mon Mar 26, 2007 at 10:44:13 PM EST
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Phillip Thompson, an aide to Virginia's Democratic Senator Jim Webb, was arrested today for bringing a semiautomatic, 9 millimeter pistol and two magazines through security at the Russell Senate Office Building.

Mr. Thompson faces felony charges of carrying a pistol without a license and possessing an unregistered firearm and unregistered ammunition.

Another Congressional official briefed on the case said the aide had told the authorities that Mr. Webb gave him the pistol while being dropped at the airport and that he inadvertently took it to the Capitol complex.

Webb gave him the gun? He inadvertantly took it through security? There has to be more to this story.

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    Sen. Webb's Aide Arrested on Gun Charge | 23 comments (23 topical)

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    this one (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by leoncarre on Mon Mar 26, 2007 at 11:01:02 PM EST
    this one is going to come back to bite Sen. Webb, I'm afraid

    Naw (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by manys on Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 12:05:00 AM EST
    Guess we've got the beginnings of the Badass Democrat.

    Parent
    shows how different these folks are (5.00 / 1) (#12)
    by chicago dyke on Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 07:51:03 AM EST
    compare this to the following:

    "a young black man and his friends brought unlicenced, unregistered guns and illegal ammunition to the dirkson building today; security officials (fill in your own conclusion).

    my point is that i wouldn't even think of bringing illegal weapons to a government building. no more than i would try to bring a bomb, or drugs. it's unthinkable for normal people. but webb and his aide are just confident as can be that it's ok for them to pass guns around like lighters.

    I find myself thinking that we may find (none / 0) (#15)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 09:13:18 AM EST
    facts that agree with your take.  I also find this very disturbing.

    Parent
    My assumption... (none / 0) (#2)
    by jerry on Mon Mar 26, 2007 at 11:16:06 PM EST
    Is that Webb can legitimately carry it, but not in an airport, gave it to the aide who stuck it in his briefcase, and forgot about it.

    Can you forget something like that?  I don't know.

    Carrying the Senator's bag (none / 0) (#3)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Mon Mar 26, 2007 at 11:56:33 PM EST

    One would hope that the aide doesn't wind up in the slammer for carrying the senator's bag.

    OTOH, isn't the senator in flaming violation of the DC gun ban?

    no, that was (none / 0) (#6)
    by cpinva on Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 12:52:55 AM EST
    jsut recently overturned.

    Parent
    damn, that should be (none / 0) (#7)
    by cpinva on Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 12:53:41 AM EST
    just

    Parent
    Still in force (none / 0) (#8)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 12:55:55 AM EST

    It is still in force while on appeal.  

    Parent
    And well-connected people can get permits anyway (none / 0) (#10)
    by roy on Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 06:25:56 AM EST


    Parent
    True but (none / 0) (#11)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 06:58:01 AM EST

    It is true that the political favorites can get permits, HOWEVER the gun had to be registered in the district before 1976.  

    I will bet anyone a dollar to a dime that this is a case of selective non-prosecution.

    Parent

    Hagel arrested on prostitution charge.... (none / 0) (#4)
    by bx58 on Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 12:03:45 AM EST
    Well,why not?

    Its (none / 0) (#9)
    by Wile ECoyote on Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 05:27:16 AM EST
    a sad state of affairs when you even have to register ammunition.  Lenin wants his grave moved to DC.  

    My first thought ... (none / 0) (#13)
    by Deconstructionist on Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 08:11:34 AM EST
    ... is that as the aide knew from experience he had to pass through security to enter, it is not beyond belief that he did just forget he had the gun.

       Is it also possible that he just thought he would be given a pass at security because he's a big shot?

      Is it also possible that Webb gave him the gun, but gave it to him in a bag and did not tell him it had a gun in it?

       Beyond those, you start into scenarios where the guy would need to have serious problems and might be dangerous.

     

    Why not let the CJ system take its course? (none / 0) (#14)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 08:45:21 AM EST
    Investigate, and  if it was a simple mistake, cobvict, sentence and parole??

    if it was a mistake (none / 0) (#16)
    by zaitztheunconvicted on Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 09:50:53 AM EST
    why go to the bother of
    "convict, sentence and parole"?

    There are a lot of dumb things that people do without thinking.  The USA has the highest incarceration rate of the civilized world, perhaps the world as a whole.  What are we doing incarcerating people for carelessness?

    If you must convict them, give them a day and mark them as an offender and let them go.  It appears there are a lot of crimes people have been committing for which a day in jail and being marked as convicted is the appropriate penalty.

    Parent

    For carrying luggage (none / 0) (#17)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 09:52:27 AM EST

    Convict the guy for carrying the senator's luggage?  How odd.

    Parent
    In this day and age (none / 0) (#18)
    by Che's Lounge on Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 11:56:23 AM EST
    that's just felony stupidity. He should be fired at the very least. And Webb should answer for his wild west attitude. I'm no fan of the police state we live in. These people are either so scared, in which case they should find another profession, or they are stupid, in which case they should find another profession.

    Webb sayd he didn't give the gun (none / 0) (#19)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 03:22:57 PM EST
    to his aide
    I have never carried a gun in the Capitol complex and I did not give the weapon to Phillip Thompson, and that's all that I think I'll say," Webb told reporters.

    "I think this is one of those very unfortunate situations where, completely inadvertently, he took the weapon into the Senate yesterday," Webb added. The senator noted that he was in New Orleans from Friday until Monday. He speculated that the incident happened because three of his cars were moved because of the trip.
    Webb (none / 0) (#20)
    by Wile ECoyote on Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 03:26:58 PM EST
    denies he ever gave him the gun he carried into the bldg.  

    On the bright side, Webb did come out as a strong supporter of second amendment rights, one of the reasons I vote for him.  

    perjury (none / 0) (#21)
    by diogenes on Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 05:14:00 PM EST
    If this goes to a grand jury and Webb has to testify, he'd better be careful or the perjury police will be after him.

    Perjury Police? (none / 0) (#22)
    by squeaky on Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 05:31:16 PM EST
    Oh, that is right, wingnuts belive that it is not only OK, but proper to lie to a GJ, to the public and to Congress.

    Wasn't that in one of Bush's signing statements? A hat tip to Strauss?

    Parent

    The same thing.... (none / 0) (#23)
    by kdog on Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 09:43:23 PM EST
    as nailing Capone for tax evasion.

    Good for the goose...

    Parent

    Sen. Webb's Aide Arrested on Gun Charge | 23 comments (23 topical)

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