For which the organization deserves credit for not just reporting it but giving credit to Ed Morrissey of Hot Air, which is where it belongs. President Obama’s chief information officer not only had his offices raided by the FBI recently, but he was convicted of theft when he was 21-years-old.

As the government’s chief information officer, he has plans to put vital information online for the public to see, cut waste from government operations, and save taxpayers money. He wants to use things like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to speed the flow of information between Washington and the rest of the nation.

But first, he has to get past some nagging legal details. Though he’s not a target, the FBI is investigating his old office at the District of Columbia, where he was chief technology officer. Three members of his old staff there have been charged with bribery.

And one other thing: when Kundra was 21 years old, records show, he was caught stealing four shirts from a J.C. Penney store. …

The shoplifting incident was first reported on a blog called Hot Air.

I don’t think juvenile stupidity really flies as an excuse here. He wasn’t a 15-year-old TP’ing a house or saying something stupid. He was a 21-year-old stealing clothing from a department store. Even people in Silicone Valley are concerned about the conviction.

But reporters, watchdog groups and information-technology specialists still ask about that perplexing 1996 shoplifting charge from Penney’s.

“We wish Vivek and his White House handlers would come forth,” wrote Eric Krangel of Silicon Valley Insider. “Because right now, we not only think Vivek is a petty thief, we think he’s a petty thief with bad taste in clothes.”

Heh. Seriously though, kudos for ABC News for reporting the story with credit. The Washington Post and New York Times just reported it without sourcing.