Four Senate Judiciary Computer Servers Seized In Memos Probe

Drudge Report ^ | Mon Nov 24 2003 09:49:17 ET

[Brian Mosely]

Four Senate Judiciary Computer Servers Seized In Memos Probe

Mon Nov 24 2003 09:49:17 ET

The Senate Sergeant-at-Arms took possession of the Judiciary Committee's four computer servers Friday and formally opened an investigation into how more than a dozen memos written by two Democratic Senators ended up in the hands of a pair of newspapers, ROLL CALL is reporting.

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Democrats suspect the memos, which detailed political strategy on how to block or delay confirmation of several of President Bush's judicial nominees, were stolen from the servers and subsequently given to The Wall Street Journal editorial page and The Washington Times.

Both newspapers published excerpts of the memos.

Sergeant-at-Arms Bill Pickle said the four servers and computer backup tapes would be examined by an 'outside forensic team' to see if the memos were in fact stolen from the server. The Capitol Police secured the backup tapes last Monday at the request of the Judiciary Committee leadership after Democrats called for an investigation into their alleged theft."

Pickle, "the chief law enforcement official in the Senate, said he received a bipartisan directive from Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D- S.D.), Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), and the panel's ranking member, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), to launch the investigation. ...

Pickle said he is not sure how long the investigation would take, but noted it would include using both the private forensic experts as well as internal resources to determine if the memos written to Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) by their respective staffs were stolen."

Developing...

[John123]

how more than a dozen memos written by two Democratic Senators ended up in the hands of a pair of newspapers

Actually, what really concerns me about the leaks is what other information coming out of those servers is helping our enemies. Is our nation's secrets safe?

[Question_Assumptions]

While they are in there, can they see who leaked the raw personal information from Clarence Thomas's files to Nina Tottenberg?

[org.whodat]

Seems to me we are investigating the wrong thing here. Why aren't we investigating who wrote these memos and what was their ultimate purpose. A classic case of "not seeing the forest for the trees."

I agree. Why is it legal to use taxpayer bought computers for political memos. For either party?

[Mo1]

Perhaps the Dems are trying to divert attention away from the possibility that the memos are evidence that Dems violated the civil rights of one or more judicial appointees including Miguel Estrada

That would be my guess

[Eva]

According the WSJ, the memos came from the office of Dick Durbin, not the Senate Judicial Committee computers.

Two of the memos came from the office of Senator Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, who was not amused that we gave our readers a taste of the political cynicism behind his opposition. Yesterday he got the Capitol Hill police to raid the Judiciary Committee in search of evidence of who leaked the documents. Sheriff Durbin's office told us late yesterday afternoon that the posse had entered the Committee's computer room and "removed backup tapes from the server."

We admit it. We have sources who provided those documents to us, a practice not unknown even, dare we guess, to Mr. Durbin. His outrage at this disclosure contrasts with the notable lack of concern that his fellow Democrats showed some years back over the leak of the Anita Hill charges against then Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas.

[TommyDale]

This is amazing. This could happen only in the U.S. Senate, where the leaker is the bad guy and the subversives that wrote the memo point their fingers the other way. And the stupid, lazy press sheep follow.

[eureka!]

"I know I'm not on FR 24/7 (maybe only 23/7) but I onle recall 1 or 2 memo's. What's with "dozens" ?

Hopefully, we'll find out in some more articles. Hehehehe...

[VRWC_minion]

but rather how the memos were obtained?

That was my first reaction but the bipartisan nature of this doesn't feel as though that is why the r's are going along. They could have rope-a-doped if they were guilty of something here.

My instincts are that we are not getting the entire story here and that either this goes beyond politics, or the R's have something on the rats.

[international american]

Keep us posted on this. Maybe Drudge will get his hands on the rest of em.

[highlander_UW]

Perhaps, while they are investigating these confiscated servers they can prove who wrote the traitorous memos as well. If they're going to investigate, they should make sure to explore the REAL crime. Treason in time of war in punishable by death. This is serious.

[Grampa Dave]

Well, we have another thing to say thanks for this Thanksgiving Week.

Again the rats are caught up to their eyebrows in the septic tank, they made and filled up. Now they are trying to blame us for noticing the stench from them.

[Judith Anne]

Thanks for the ping. I'm wondering what sort of blunder Durbin made, and how many people are holding their breath after he called the DC police...

It will be interesting to see how this shakes out...somehow, though, it will be the Republicans' fault.

[Spunky]

"I onle recall 1 or 2 memo's. What's with "dozens" ?

Here is a thread with a link to the online memos. Scroll down until you get the correct link.

Democrat memos on judicial nomination online

[plain talk]

I was thinking the same thing. I thought Republicans were running things up there now.

[adam_az]

How will securing the servers prove anything, except who wrote them and who they were sent to?

That's where the field of computer forensics comes in.

[Spunky]

See my posting at #33. There is a thread to the online link of the memos.

[Robert A Cook PE]

So!

The democrats DEMAND that the "how did the memo leak" problem get investigated BY the democrats on the Judiciary Committee!

BUT ....

THE weasel-wasted repubbies on the Intel Committee IGNORE the "what was in the memo about obstructing investigations" problem IGNORED by the press over there.

[glorgau]

computer backup tapes would be examined by an 'outside forensic team'

Probably going to be handled in the same manner as the investigation into the Clinton White House email backups...

[Redleg Duke]

Funny how when it is their memos being leaked, the RATS don't believe in "Freedom of the Press".