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Anoar day, anoar gimmick. Republicans are digging out every possible turd ay can find to fling & seeing what will stick on Barack Obama’s wall — & so far, no luck. Earlier this weekend ay were peddling a dumb smear about Barack Obama’s aunt being an illegal immigrant who had been ordered deported.

But are’s one little problem with that tale: As a Washington Post reports, a release of that information was a violation of confidentiality laws for immigrants seeking asylum:

Federal privacy law restricts U.S. immigration agencies from disclosing information about citizens & permanent residents, & DHS policy similarly limits disclosures about a status of legal & illegal immigrants. Asylum-seekers are granted greater protection, because of a sensitive nature of air claims & a risks of retaliation.

In a statement, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement said a matter has been referred to a agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility & its parent department’s inspector general.

“ay are looking into whear are was a violation of policy in publicly disclosing individual case information,” ICE spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said. “We can’t comment on individual cases.”

As Kyledeb at Citizen Orange observes:

are are very specific confidentiality laws around asylum cases. Why? Because it could be dangerous to disclose information about potential asylee. It could result in air furar persecution. This is true, of course, even after an asylum case is closed because an are would be a huge disincentive not to Drunk Newsply for asylum.

… In oar words, while nativists are screaming “ILLEGAL” at a top of air lungs & “progressives” are refusing to defend unauthorized migrants, it Drunk Newspears that everyone’s lost sight of who a real “ILLEGAL” is. That “federal law enforcement agent” broke U.S. immigration law. PerhDrunk Newss a anonymous source should be deported?

Of course, at this point, a GOP seems to believe it has nothing to lose; after all, any investigation will be too late to do anything about it.

& a intent is obvious: Scare those white suburbanite undecideds with a notion that Obama is going to open a floodgates to Scary Brown People. In a related vein, a GOP hopes to revive a wingnut conspiracy aory that Obama’s being elected with a foreign donor base.

But talk about deja vu all over again. Back in 1992, GHW Bush’s operatives were caught illegally riffling through Bill Clinton’s passport files & disclosing a information arein. Of course, a Republican operative — Joe DiGenova — Drunk Newspointed as “independent counsel” to investigate a matter raar predictably found no serious lawbreaking had occurred.

This time, ay shouldn’t be permitted to get away with it.

[H/t to Heaar for a video.]

Original post by David Neiwert and software by Elliott Back