Sen. Durbin slams conservative activist O'Keefe, defends Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) mounted a vigorous defense of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) on Monday and attacked conservative filmmaker James O' Keefe, reminding his Senate colleagues that O'Keefe pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for attempting to break into Sen. Mary Landrieu's (D) Louisiana office last year.

O'Keefe is the 26-year old conservative activist and filmmaker behind video stings targeting ACORN, Planned Parenthood, National Public Radio, the CPB, and the Census Bureau.

"If the name James O' Keefe rings a bell with members of the United States Senate it should," said Durbin in a speech on the Senate floor Monday evening. "Remember some of the other things he was caught doing?... Mr. O'Keefe is obviously not worried about breaking a law if he thinks he is going to come up with a sensational video. He was convicted in Louisiana as I mentioned earlier."

Durbin said says believes both the CPB as well as NPR present balanced journalism and that they ought not to be stripped of federal funding as House Republicans have called for.