David Kernell lawyers up

UPDATED & BUMPED (AGAIN) 2:05 p.m.: No indictment. Yet.

UPDATED & BUMPED 1 p.m. ET: Man, it's hard to believe how the national media are managing to ignore this huge story:

A Grand Jury in Chattanooga on Tuesday morning heard testimony into the alleged hacking of the personal e-mail of Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
Three young college-age people declined to comment as they entered the Federal Courthouse around 9 a.m.
Security officers notified members of the media at 10:30 a.m. that the trio had exited the courthouse by another door.
The three, including two males and a female, are apparently friends of a University of Tennessee student who is under investigation for the hacking. David Kernell is a UT student who is the son of a Democratic state legislator from Memphis.

UPDATE: Somehow I missed this yesterday:

Devon Holbrook is a UT student from Memphis who grew up with Kernell. He was shocked to hear from mutual friends that David was in some serious trouble. "I went on Google, and the first thing I saw is David's picture and articles talking about what had happened," Holbrook said. "I immediately started freaking out." . . .
Holbrook says Kernell loves chess, economics, and talking about politics.
"I would definitely say he's more to the left in terms of politics, but he's never really been active as far as political groups or anything like that," Holbrook added. . . .
Kernell's political views are all over several websites.
"He goes by the name Rubico," Holbrook said.

Via CanadaGuy.

UPDATE 4:45 p.m.: The Joe Friday "just the facts ma'am" version at AmSpecBlog got linked at Drudge and Hot Air. Meanwhile, I get the Ace-o-Lanche headline. (Hey, where's my $75,000?)

EARLIER: Knoxville News-Sentinel:

David Kernell and his father, state Rep. Mike Kernell, D-Memphis, met with their attorney, Wade V. Davies, at his downtown law office. . . .
Davies issued a statement: "The Kernell family wants to do the right thing, and they want what is best for their son. We are confident that the truth will emerge as we go through the process. David is a decent and intelligent young man, and I look forward to assisting him during this difficult period." . . .
Rep. Kernell disputed suggestions on some Internet blog sites that he and his son were part of a Democratic conspiracy to embarrass Palin.
"Did I take part in a conspiracy? No. I was informed of this situation Thursday morning for the first time. I was in (a legislative) committee and got a call from a blogger friend who told me it had broken that morning," Kernell said.

Where are these "Internet blog sites" who have made "suggestions" that this was a conspiracy involving Mike Kernell (D-Memphis)? No one that I'm aware of.

However, "rubico10" said he hacked Sarah Palin's e-mail looking for something "incriminating . . . that would derail her campaign." And on his Facebook page, David Kernell called himself an "Obamacrat." So it is fair and accurate to say this:

"David Kernell, an Obama supporter and son of a Tennessee Democrat, is under investigation by the FBI in connection with the politically-motivated hacking of Palin's e-mail account."

No need for conspiracy theories. Oh, and he's lawyered up. I love the sound of that phrase, "lawyered up." That's what they alway say 50 minutes into the "NYPD Blue" episode, just before Andy Sipowicz goes in and beats a confession out of the creep.

SIPOWICZ: Is he talking?
KELLY: No, he's lawyered up.
SIPOWICZ: Give me five minutes.

That's what the FBI needs here, a Sipowicz.

PREVIOUSLY:
9/22: News? What news?
9/21: Search warrant for 'Rubico10'?
9/19: Hey, an online lynching!
9/19: FBI surveilling David Kernell?
9/19: Pray for the Kernell family
9/18: David Kernell under investigation
9/18: Palin hacker ID'd?
9/17: Left-wingers hack Sarah Palin's personal e-mail account