Federal agents seized a truckload of financial records from a major Philadelphia labor union on Friday, and the entire raid was conducted in front of a massive "Hillary for President" sign, video of the raid shows.
FBI agents loaded a moving truck full of boxes "labeled ‘investments,’ ‘payroll,’ and ‘taxes’" from a union hall of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 98, according to George Spencer, a reporter with Philadelphia’s NBC affiliate.
Video of the raid posted to YouTube shows FBI agents carrying the boxes from the front door of the union hall, right below a huge "Hillary for President" sign. The national IBEW union endorsed Clinton’s presidential bid in June.
According to NBC Philadelphia’s report, the raids also targeted "two rowhouses, a pub, … and the political offices of a City Councilman."
A common link for all the search sites became clear immediately: the city's most influential labor union, IBEW Local 98, and its powerful leader known by the moniker Johnny Doc.
The FBI confirmed by mid-morning that the searches and subsequent seizures of enough boxes to fill an actual rental truck were part of an "ongoing investigation," apparently into the Philadelphia local for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
John Dougherty, who played a major role in getting Mayor Jim Kenney elected last year and at the same time helped his brother Kevin win a seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, paced outside his home as agents searched inside.
Dougherty and Kenney both attended "a very private meeting with Secretary Clinton" in April, Dougherty said in a statement at the time.
"We talked with Ms. Clinton for 20 minutes about her support of Pre-Apprenticeship Programs, diversity in the workforce, and Project Labor Agreements," he revealed. "It was a quick but great meeting and we appreciated Secretary Clinton’s time and attention to our issues."
Dougherty’s Local 98 reached a Project Labor Agreement with the Democratic National Committee in June. The DNC agreed to use union labor for its convention, and the union pledged not to strike or conduct work stoppages while it took place.
The union ended up spending about $80,000 hosting events in Philadelphia during the convention, during which Dougherty personally lobbied Democratic powerbrokers for the union’s legislative agenda.