Still we have to deal with Bill

[Gonz]

Bad Penny?

Jul 19, 9:00 PM (ET) By JOHN SOLOMON

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Clinton's national security adviser, Sandy Berger, is the focus of a Justice Department investigation after removing highly classified terrorism documents and handwritten notes from a secure reading room during preparations for the Sept. 11 commission hearings, The Associated Press has learned.

Berger's home and office were searched earlier this year by FBI agents armed with warrants after he voluntarily returned documents to the National Archives. However, still missing are some drafts of a sensitive after-action report on the Clinton administration's handling of al-Qaida terror threats during the December 1999 millennium celebration.

"When I was informed by the Archives that there were documents missing, I immediately returned everything I had except for a few documents that I apparently had accidentally discarded," he said.

Source

I wonder if this had the aspirin factory schematics?

 

[Gonz]

What a surprise. The liar is backing Sandy Burglar.

Former president Bill Clinton defends his embattled national security advisor as a man who "always got things right," even if his desk was a mess.

"We were all laughing about it," Clinton said about the investigation into Sandy Berger for taking classified terrorism documents from the National Archives. "People who don't know him might find it hard to believe. But ... all of us who've been in his office have always found him buried beneath papers."

Where were you guys during Watergate?

 

[Gonz]

This just gets better & better.

Berger and his lawyer said Monday night he knowingly removed the handwritten notes by placing them in his jacket, pants and socks, and also inadvertently took copies of actual classified documents in a leather portfolio.

"I deeply regret the sloppiness involved, but I had no intention of withholding documents from the commission, and to the contrary, to my knowledge, every document requested by the commission from the Clinton administration was produced," Berger said in a statement.

Sloppiness? Where else would you stuff stolen federal archival records?

 

[The Other One]

Re: Trousergate

Sandy Burgler has got some splainin' to do...

Isn't it nice to know that a former President of the U.S. finds a person stuffing socks and clothing with stolen highly classified national security documents to be a laughing matter.......

Clinton got caught by the 9/11 Commission and Sandy got the dirty deed of cleaning up the trail...

I'm sure Slick Willie will try to defuse the fact that his former national security advisor stole Top Secret documents out of the National Archives which would prove Clinton was incompetent when it came to fighting terrorism.

CLINTON SAYS BERGER-DOCUMENTS FUROR IS JUST POLITICS: 'WE WERE ALL LAUGHING ABOUT IT'
Tue Jul 20 2004 20:54:50 ET

....DRUDGE has learned: In an interview set for publication Wednesday in the DENVER POST, Clinton questions the timing of the Berger flap less than a week before the Democratic National Convention and two days before a presidential commission is slated to release its final report on the Bush administration's handling of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Clinton tells the POST he has known about the federal probe of Berger's actions for several months, calling the news a "non-story."

"I wish I knew who leaked it. It's interesting timing," he added.

"I feel terrible for Sandy. But I just believe his explanation because I know how much he cared about this ... terrorism business," Clinton said, describing his former security advisor as a "workaholic" who has "always been up to his ears in papers."

 

[chcr]

Re: Trousergate

Thing is, this is all old news. Brought to the forefront in time for the conventions. They're playing games.

 

[Gonz]

Re: Trousergate

Does that make it any less valid? Had the Nixon crew stalled for 8 months things would have been different?

 

[chcr]

Re: Trousergate

They didn't stall, Gonz. It was being dealt with by the FBI and the Justice Dept. No one is even sure yet that a crime was committed (I suppose Berger knows for sure). It was leaked to the press in an obvious attempt at partisanship.

 

[Gonz]

Re: Trousergate

No one is even sure yet that a crime was committed

"When I was informed by the Archives that there were documents missing, I immediately returned everything I had except for a few documents that I apparently had accidentally discarded," he said.

Berger and his lawyer said Monday night he knowingly removed the handwritten notes by placing them in his jacket, pants and socks, and also inadvertently took copies of actual classified documents in a leather portfolio.

Yes, the timing is advantageous to causing a ruckus at the DNC. However, he has admitted stealing national records & misplacing some. At least Nixons goons didn't steal from the archives. The :18 gap was on the tape he ordered made.

 

[chcr]

Re: Trousergate

Sorry, Gonz, but I can't help but feel if the political affiliations were reversed YOu would feel much differently. It's clearly a ploy, and it would just as clearly be a ploy the other way. It's a sad statement about the way we choose our "leaders." My only solace is that no one has (yet) found a better way.

 

[Gonz]

Re: Trousergate

Of course I'd think the timing was troublesome. If I wanted to play devils advocate I'd play the timing issue & bury the facts that a former NSA stole goods from the Nat'l Archives that have direct dealings with the current state of affairs-namely terrorism.

Did you know the stolen reports were written by Richard Clark? Are you aware they are directly tied to the aftermath of the first WTC bombing? Sorry chcr, this is more like Watergate than travelgate.

 

[chcr]

Re: Trousergate

No one was trying to cover this up. It was an ongoing FBI investigation. In no way similar to Watergate.

Think about this: When the press gets wind of an ongoing investigation, does it become easier or harder to investigate.

Simply a ploy, the people who leaked this couldn't care less about the actual investigation.

 

[Gonz]

Re: Trousergate

Alright then, if nobody was covering this up why the fuss about the timing?

 

[chcr]

Re: Trousergate

You do read the news from time to time? The FBI and the Justice Dept. were trying to keep it out of the press until they decided if charges would be filed (they haven't been yet). The only people in a position to "cover up" this investigation are members of the current administration, not the Clinton one.

 

[chcr]

Re: Trousergate

Note that I don't mean to imply that the administration were covering it up, or that they leaked it for that matter. This stinks of some low level flunky trying to brown nose. We'll never know the real truth.

 

[Gonz]

Re: Trousergate

He STOLE National records. Who sent him to steal those records? Why, would it be the Clinton administration? Who, at the time, was the only remaining member of the Clinton administration? Bill himself. The leak timing is suspect only because it means nothing.

My deepest darkest thoughts on this-it wasn't released by Bush or the RNC. It's one of a long line of small tidbits released by the real DNC - the one that wants Hilary in '08. There will be many more in the coming months. Two fold-they don't want Kerry to win. By '12 Billary will be too old to be the first woman prez and they have to release shit to harm Edwards otherwise he may be a threat to Billary in '08. Who do you think released the court transcripts of Edwards "channeling" the little girl?

 

[chcr]

Re: Trousergate

*Conspiracy theory*



Actually, the real question is whether he used the classified documents to brief Kerry.

 

[Gonz]

Re: Trousergate

He needs to pick better people. other post. The Clintons will eat him alive.

 

[Gonz]

DNC Press Release MCAULIFFE FILES FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST; Requests All Documents Shared Between the Department of Justice and White House Regarding Investigation of Sandy Berger
Wed Jul 21 2004 13:17:22 ET

Washington, D.C. -In response to the questionable timing of the public release of information regarding the investigation of former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger, Democratic National Committee Chair Terry McAuliffe officially filed a Freedom of Information Act request today for the release of correspondence between the Department of Justice and the White House regarding this investigation.

Below is a copy of McAuliffe's official letter of request.

Melanie Ann Pustay, Deputy Director
Office of Information and Policy
Department of Justice
Suite 570, Flag Building
Washington, D.C. 20530-0001

July 21, 2004

Dear Ms. Pustay:

This letter constitutes a request under the Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA"), 5 U.S.C. §552, and is submitted on behalf of the Democratic National Committee.

According to recent reporting, an investigation into former National Security Adviser Samuel Berger has been going on for at least nine months, since October 2003. Yet, the criminal investigation only came to light three days prior to the release of a report expected to be critical of the Bush administration's lack of focus on the events leading up to the 9-11 attacks. As conservative scholar Norm Ornstein stated, "you can't look at the timing of this with anything but an enormous amount of skepticism." [CNN, 7/20/04]

In light of the seriousness of the possibility that the Bush administration and the Department of Justice have politicized an ongoing investigation, it is imperative that this Freedom of Information request is responded to in an expedited manner.

Under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552 and the regulations of the Department of Justice, 28 C.F.R. §16.3, I am requesting copies of the following:

Any and all communications relating or referring to the investigation of Samuel ("Sandy") Berger, between, correspondence (including electronic mail) between, memoranda between, phone records of communications between, meeting notes and/or minutes of meetings between, on the one hand, any official or employee of the US Department of Justice AND, on the other hand, (i) the Executive Office of the President or any unit or office thereof (including but not limited to the Office of the Vice President); (ii) any official, employee, or representative of the Republican National Committee; OR (iii) any official, employee or representative of the Bush-Cheney 2004 presidential campaign.

This request covers all documents created during the period from and including October 1, 2003 through and including July 20, 2004.

For your purposes in filling this request, please consider me under the category of "all other organizations," as defined by the Freedom of Information Act. If there are any fees for copying or searching for the records I have requested, please inform me of the cost prior to searching or copying, and only if the total exceeds $100.

If all or any part of this request is denied, please cite the specific exemption which you believe justifies your refusal to release the information and inform me of your agency's administrative appeal procedures available to me under the law.

Please provide all information on a rolling basis if possible. I appreciate your handling of this request as quickly as possible and I look forward to hearing from you within 20 working days, as the law stipulates.

If you have any questions or need further information concerning the above request, please contact me at the address below or at 202-863-8121.

Thank you for your attention to this request.

Sincerely,

Terence R. McAuliffe, Chairman
430 South Capitol Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003

Terry is who's guard dog again?

 

[Gonz]

Deeper & deeper

Archives Employees Suspicious of Berger... devised coding system, marked documents they knew Berger was interested in canvassing, watched him carefully... employees determined draft and all versions of 'millennium memo' had disappeared from files after Berger viewed them, WASH POST set to report, say sources... Developing...

 

[The Other One]

Re: Docs. in Socks

"Sandy" is a Girlie-man name....

NEWS ITEM: The George Bush re-election campaign was hit by a tsunami yesterday when it was discovered that National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice had made multiple trips the the National Archives and stolen documents prior to her testimony at the 9-11 Commission hearings. It has been learned that on at least five occasions, Ms. Rice had stuffed documents in her bra and pantyhose and sneaked them out of the building. Some of the documents have not been recovered. The reactions from around the country were swift. Here are some of them.

Katie Couric: She is responsible for everything that has gone wrong. She wanted war. She got war. I have unconfirmed reports that she made prisoners in Iraq wear her pantyhose on their heads. Hopefully, Saddam Hussein is going to be able to escape and make it to Syria. Anyone up for some badminton?

Terry McAuliffe: We warned you something like this would happen when you allowed these criminals to steal the election in Florida. I trust that the American people now know what they must do in November. I also expect Ralph Nader to withdraw from the race.

Al Gore: She beetraayed this country!

Cynthia McKinney: I understand that she is part Jewish. It is the Jew in her that is responsible for this outrageous act.

Peter Jennings: Condoleezza Rice had a temper tantrum today.

Ted Kennedy: Week after week.....hiccup.....after week after week....hiccup....she stole page after page.....hiccup.....after page after page. She must either resign immediately or.....hiccup.....let me take her for a drive.

Dan Rather: George Bush, never having a reputation for honesty, has new problems today after it was revealed that he ordered his national security advisor to commit multiple felonies and, if she were caught, he would pardon her. Tomorrow, we will be getting a reaction from our good friend, Fidel Castro, to understand the impact it might have on his progressive island paradise. Then, I will be reporting from a Democratic fundraiser where I will be speaking.

Linda Ronstadt: B U R P !

Ron Reagan: Now I understand why she had made that call to borrow my tutu. She could have hidden several more documents in it.

Michael Moore: (ooops...there is no reaction from Michael Moore. After gorging himself, he was having a little dainty after dinner mint when he suddenly exploded.)

Janet Jackson: I think you should give her the benefit of the doubt. It was most likely a wardrobe malfunction.

Helen Thomas: This is the worst administration in the history of this nation. She has no excuse for this. She has now caused more of our friends to hate us around the world. Have you seen my Depends?

Julian Bond: I've said it before and I'll say it again. She is a female Uncle Tom. She is an embarrassment. She sold her soul to be one of the privileged "Negroes" within this white racist administration. He patted her on the head and told her, "Be a good little girl and do this for me."

Joe Wilson: I'll have a comment after I finish my sweet mint tea. By the way, do you see Saddam Hussein ever buy any uranium in Africa? I just asked a cabby and he didn't know.

Queasy Am-Fuming: She is not an authentic African-American. I feel like James Byrd has been killed all over again.

Whoopi Goldberg: I warned you about Bush.

John Kerry: No one on my team would ever do anything like this. Now, get out of my way. I'm speaking at the grand opening of an abortion clinic and then I'm going to Communion. Do any of you want to see me kiss my running mate after church?

John Edwards: This baby is a rainmaker. By the way, do any of you want to see me kiss my running mate after he gets out of church?

Sandy Berger: Any national security advisor who would do something like this should be planning to spend some serious jail time.

Bill Clinton: She put them in her bra and pantyhose? Can I have a look at those?

Hillary Clinton: She put them in her bra and pantyhose? Can I have a look at those?

Berger to Reporters: Last year when I was in the archives reviewing documents I made an honest mistake. It is one that I deeply regret. I dealt with this issue in October 2003 fully and completely. Everything that I have done all along in this process has been for the purpose of aiding and supporting the work of the 9/11 commission. And any suggestion to the contrary is simply absolutely wrong.

Dennis Hastert, the Republican Speaker of the House :"What information could be so embarrassing that a man with decades of experience in handling classified documents would risk being caught pilfering our nation's most sensitive secrets?"

I wonder how you would “inadvertently” shove documents into your pants and socks, especially documents you absolutely know that cannot leave the building?