Video shows workers offering 'Obamaphones' to those vowing to sell them -- for drugs

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Fox News:

A Republican senator renewed his criticism of a government-backed program that hands out cell phones after an undercover video showed vendors helping people obtain the phones even after saying they wanted to sell them for drugs and other items.

The video was released by conservative activist James O'Keefeand his group Project Veritas. It claimed to show undercover investigators visiting Philadelphia locations for phone vendor Stand Up Wireless and locations for one other company.

In one exchange, the investigator -- posing as someone who wants a free phone -- asks if the phone will belong to him after he gets it.

"Whatever you want to do with it," the worker says.

The investigator floats the possibility of getting "money for heroin." The employee responds: "Hey, I don't judge."

Global Connection Inc. of America, the parent company for Stand Up Wireless, has already taken disciplinary action against the employees in question.

"Any employee involved has already been terminated," CEO Dave Skogen told FoxNews.com.

But Sen. David Vitter, R-La., who has long been critical of the phone hand-out program -- which was dubbed the "Obamaphone" during the 2012 campaign -- slammed the initiative in light of the video.

"The free government cell phones issue just keeps getting more outrageous," Vitter said in a statement. "This phone program has expanded far beyond its original intent, and having Washington force people to pay for free cell phones for others is offensive enough, but the waste, fraud and abuse is beyond words."

________

 

Phoning it in...