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Kristinn Taylor just posted this at Free Republic:
FBI Visits Ozark Blogger at Request From Rep. Billy Long’s Office (Chilling Giffords Effect)
KY3.com ^ | Thursday, January 13, 2011 | Chad Plein
Posted on Thu Jan 13 2011 22:20:22 GMT-0500 (Eastern Standard Time) by kristinn
Rep. Billy Long, (R-MO)
An Ozark, MO man says he had a peculiar visit this week. Clay Bowler says an FBI agent wanted to know about any confrontations with Representative Billy Long.
Bowler, a political blogger, would attend Long’s campaign events during the summer and ask political questions, even following Long to his car, hoping for answers on different topics. Tuesday, Bowler recorded the interview with the FBI. On the recording, Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott says Billy Long’s staffers gave authorities Bowler’s name.
Bowler understands after the shootings in Tucson the FBI is trying to be proactive in finding threats, but he says he shouldn’t be on any lists, that he would never do anything violent to anyone. At the end of the recording, the FBI agent agreed that Bowler did not appear to be a personal threat to Long.
We made attempts to reach Representative Billy Long and members of his staff – as well as the FBI and Capitol Police. We can tell you, Capitol Police held a meeting with elected officials in Washington, D.C. today to talk about safety.
We’re told the Greene County Sheriff was with the FBI agent in Ozark because their investigation initially said Bowler was living in Greene County.
(Video at source link)
NOTE: Billy Long is a Republican.
Bowler was puzzled why Arnott accompanied the FBI agent. Arnott is sheriff of Greene County. Bowler lives several miles into Christian County.
“Our first information was that he lived in Republic,” in Greene County, Arnott said.
Christian County Sheriff Joey Kyle was apparently unaware the FBI was in his county, interviewing a person who’d been flagged as a potential problem to a sitting U.S. congressman.
Bowler isn’t the only local person under federal investigation. Arnott confirmed to KSPR News that Bowler isn’t the only local person who’s been scrutinized in the wake of last weekend’s shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Gifford (D-AZ) during a meet-and-greet with constituents in Tucson, Ariz.
Arnott said U.S. Capitol police canvassed members of Congress to come up with a list of people across the country who might be considered potential threats to members of Congress. It’s up to local law enforcement to protect members of Congress when they return to their home districts.
Bowler, an avowed conservative, says the FBI visit was cordial. He videotaped the encounter and said the agent was polite throughout the brief encounter.
But Bowler says the FBI visit left him shaken.
“I don’t sit 24 hours a day, seven days a week, thinking about Billy Long,” Bowler said. “I stopped going to campaign events in September where Billy attended.”
Bowler said law enforcement told him he’s not considered a threat to Long.
Long office did not return a request for comment.
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