Republican Aide Improperly Got Democratic Memos[Hatch aide]

REUTERS | November 25, 2003

[the caption king]

By REUTERS

Filed at 8:10 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top U.S. Senate Republican expressed ``deep regret'' on Tuesday in announcing that an internal investigation of computer records found one of his staffers had ``improperly accessed'' Democratic documents.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch said he placed the staffer on administrative leave with pay pending a separate probe by the Senate sergeant at arms, Bill Pickle.

Hatch, who had initially ridiculed the allegations, also said a former staffer ``may also have been involved,'' but declined to identify either person by name.

``I am mortified that this improper, unethical and simply unacceptable breach of confidential files may have occurred on my watch,'' the Utah Republican told a news conference.

Hatch said the staffer who got access to the memos denied giving them to the news media and it remained unclear how reporters got them.

The disclosure came a week after congressional law enforcement authorities began looking into what Democrats called an apparent computer theft of 14 staff memos critical of President Bush's embattled judicial nominees.

The Democratic memos were quoted in The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Times earlier this month.

According to the memos, Democrats on Hatch's panel conferred with liberal groups in opposing Bush's most conservative judicial nominees.

Hatch had suggested that the memos had been turned over to the news media by a ``conscience-stricken'' Democratic staffer.

But the senator said on Tuesday that after the Democratic concerns were voiced, he had ``two experienced federal prosecutors'' assigned to his panel interview about 50 people even as computer records were secured.

``It is with deep regret I must report today the interviews conducted to date have revealed that at least one current member of Judiciary Committee majority staff had improperly accessed at least some of the documents referenced in the media reports,'' Hatch said.

Democrats on Hatch's committee said through a spokeswoman they were ``saddened and disappointed to have their suspicions confirmed that Republican staff violated the privacy of Senate computer files.''

The spokeswoman, Tracy Schmaler, also said, ``The investigation that counts is the one being conducted by the Senate Sergeant at Arms.''

``Democratic members ... look forward to the results of that ongoing investigation when it is completed so that all can know the full extent of this violation and wrongdoing,'' she said.

[truthkeeper]

Gee, I don't remember this much fuss being kicked up back in 2000 when that Rat mole swiped the tape with the entire Bush campaign strategy and mailed it to the DNC. Does anybody?

[syriacus]

Poor Orrin.

[Doc On The Bay]

GOSH!!

This Means that a "Sadly Misguided Member of the Staff" SOMEHOW released sensitive Information to "The Public."

WHAT a Tragedy!!

Doc

[Bubba_Leroy]

The democRATs have successfully turned all attention from the treasonous contents of their memos to how they were leaked.

[suzyq5558]

that's what im concerned about.everyone will focus on how the memo's were swiped forgetting what the content of the memo say's.this whole thing is outrageous.
didnt Sean Hannity say they were not from a republican?
i think the content's of the memo are much important then how they were procurred.

[BkBinder]

Anybody know if you can generate a Freedom of Information filing on Congressional records? It would be nice to post all their racist and bigoted thoughts.

[Diva Betsy Ross]

Can the Republicans handle the fight we are about to see for the election, or not. How could Hatch allow this story to be about the hacking talents of some staffer?

Get it together fellows.. The clock is ticking...342 days left.

They know the media is going to be out for blood and looking for anything negative to print about the Republicans. It they are going to "obtain" documents, why not have a plan lined up for the after effects. Even if they really did not know that the documents were obtained illegally, they need to keep the focus on the Memo itself. that is exactly what the democrats would do. That is where they have the upper hand over us. They know how to spin a story to thier agenda.

There is a double standard for everyhting Republicans do, especially right now. No more Mr. nice guy.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

That's what ticks ME off. And watch the media jump all over it.

[pfflier]

Geez,,,the demoncreat are planning on selling the country out, we got the memo and now we're going to fire the guy that got it.

Remember the ongoing bitching about the army Col who saved his troops and is now facing courts martial???

What a bunch of whimps.

[FairOpinion]

The guy should be considered a hero and whisleblower, and protected under the whisleblower laws.

E-mail Hatch.

http://www.senate.gov/~hatch/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Offices.Contact

I thought Dems like whisleblowers, or is that only when it helps them?

The staffer exposed treasonous activity going on in our own government, by the Democrats, who are undermining the US, thereby helping our enemies and the terrorists. The guy should get a medal.

[doug from upland]

Traitors don't like it when you discover their traitorous plans. Let them pursue it. It will keep their treason front and center.

[Dolphy]

didnt Sean Hannity say they were not from a republican?

Hannity's memo was from the Intelligence Committee. This is referring to a series of memos between Dems on the Judiciary Committee.

[Cicero]

Once again Orrin Hatch is outmaneuvered. Can you imagine the Democrats EVER investigating their own people like this? Who cares who the whistle blower was, when the memo was treasonous?

[Let's Roll]

Yep, with them it's never the sinner but rather the whistle blower.

[suzyq5558]

DOH!YOU ARE SO RIGHT. ok im going to go flog myself now:>0

[pollywog]

The democRATs have successfully turned all attention from the treasonous contents of their memos to how they were leaked.

Exactly!! Although I agree this needs to be dealt with, the REAL ISSUE is what was IN those MEMOS!!!! Is that going to be SWEPT under the rug?

[suzyq5558]

in a word? probably..............

[river rat]

Hell, this is the only thing I can think of that Hatch or his staff have done right for the past several years...

If the fire the staff person..they must also fire the Senator who authorized the treacherous use of the Committee..

Semper Fi

[Jorge]

Wow this is great.
Not only do we expose the despicable secret Democrat memos, but we show how morally superior we are by confessing we accessed them using less than ethically pure methods.
This is great PR.