AP: Clinton Adviser Probed in Terror Memos [Sandy Berger is the focus of a criminal investigation]

Yahoo ^

[Sub-Driver]

AP: Clinton Adviser Probed in Terror Memos

3 minutes ago Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo!

By JOHN SOLOMON

WASHINGTON - President Clinton (news - web sites)'s national security adviser, Sandy Berger, is the focus of a criminal investigation after admitting he removed highly classified terrorism documents 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 (news - web sites) agents armed with warrants. 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 are still missing.

Berger and his lawyer said Monday night he knowingly removed handwritten notes he had taken from classified anti-terror documents he reviewed at the National Archives by sticking them in his jacket and pants. He also inadvertently took copies of actual classified documents in a leather portfolio, they said.

"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 to the AP.

Berger served as Clinton's national security adviser for all of the president's second term and most recently has been informally advising Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites). Clinton asked Berger last year to review and select the administration documents that would be turned over to the commission.

The FBI searched Berger's home and office with warrants earlier this year after employees of the National Archives told agents they believed they witnessed Berger put documents into his clothing while reviewing sensitive Clinton administration papers, officials said.

When asked, Berger said he returned some of the classified documents, which he found in his office, and all of the handwritten notes he had taken from the secure room, but said he could not locate two or three copies of the highly classified millennium terror report.

[JennysCool]

Posted this on another thread, but I thought I'd do a rerun here:
The Left has just lost the "holier than thou" aura they think they acquired after getting rid of Nixon.
This is bigtime stuff, and it's going to be hard for them to spin to an increasingly skeptical public.
Methinks after reading the New York Times bilge that the spin doctors are losing their surgical skills.
Watch for the CYA to get even more hysterical as, one by one, their media allies desert them rather than take any more hits to their already seriously-wounded credibility.
If this isn't the beginning of the end of the Clinton Era, I think it is at least the end of the era in which this gang was taken seriously.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

"Where is Sandy now??"

Having an origami!

[Libertina]

Sticking papers into his pants?
Heck, Sandy's just trying to get into the "flightsuit" action ;)

[mass55th]

I'm watching Bill Richardson on Fox News at the moment. He's going on about this as Sandy always being sloppy...his clothes being disheveled, tie undone, yada, yada, yada. Richardson said this is just Sandy being sloppy...like me.

[TomGuy]

Bill Richardson was interviewed just now on FoxNews about the Berger thefts.

Richardson, of course, defended Berger as being typically disheveled. Richardson didn't even make good sense in trying to say that that was just kind of Berger being Berger.

[Dems/Libs/Clintonites are having a difficult time defending Berger on this situation.]

[hattend]

Daschle says he is a little mystified by the "timing" of this story. He thinks Berger should have the benefit of the doubt (what doubt, Tommy Boy? He was caught red-handed!) He says this investigation has been on-going for a while and it's not a big deal.

Ahem

Abu Graibe was already being investigated by the Army, the people were removed from the prison, and it was almost a moot incident. But then the DemscRATs blasted it out and it occupies the public consciousness for a month, purely a political ploy to make Bush look bad

Payback is hell, Tommy Boy!

[tobyhill]

These stolen documents were probably in reference to Iraqi/Al-Qaida links to the millennium plot? Berger tried to steal the documents to assure Kerry had the advantage of "no collaborative ties of Iraq and Al-Qaida".

[Grandma Pam]

Eva posted: "What do you mean you can't imagine what the Clintons have on Berger???? They've got the Los Alamos lab security document theft. Berger would take the whole burden on that one if it ever was re-visited."

Okay, thanks for enlightening me. I'm obviously not up to speed on this. Back to lurker mode.

[Smogger]

I wrote a letter to MSNBC and took them for task for their lack of coverage. Low and behold look at the MSN homepage now:


Read my e-mail here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1174984/posts

[Dolphy]

Okay, thanks for enlightening me. I'm obviously not up to speed on this. Back to lurker mode

You are as up to speed as most of us and the fact that you are even here means you are enlightened. Keep posting.

[OXENinFLA]

HANNITY ripping into this......................

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Stuffing paper in your pants.
I wonder if he got a paper cut!

[Peach]

I've been gone for hours. Is there anything new on whether the National Archive is still missing documents?

A leftist friend told my husband today at golf that NBC reported all the documents were returned.

[Grandma Pam]

Thanks Dolphy.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

In his socks too????

Got a keyword for that>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SOXGATE

GD ...it hasn't even been 24 hours and look at this thread!!!!

Nearly 2000 posts......

[Grampa Dave]

Sandy Soxgateberglar is now entering the twi light zone where there is a controlling legal authority.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Keep digging......

[Grampa Dave]

Where is Sandy now?

If he was smart, he would be on an Air France Flight with Richard Clarke and Joe Wilson to Paris to beg for political asylum from the evil GW.

GW made them do it!

[Eva]

Hey, I'm sorry if that sounded harsh. Not everyone spends as much time on-line. You are perfectly justified in asking that kind of question.

[NCjim]

Well, I have finally caught up on this thread! It brings back memories to the time when I first began lurking on FR, back when Drudge had his Whitewater link up. I certainly hope that more comes of this...