Posted on 07/19/2004 5:07:42 PM PDT by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at story.news.yahoo.com ...
Good analysis. I would guess his attorney is talking now because, and only because, the story leaked. They've had plenty of time to prepare...they're probably shocked it took this long for it to get out.
The more I look at this the more I'm convinced this is less Clinton and more getting specific information to Kerry. Everyone already knew Clinton was a bum on National Security but Kerry seems to have picked up a new theme on National Security. Kerry followed Bush and started talking about security in ship yards and immigration, contrary to his voting record? Kerry's not smart enough to come up with this on his own. Then there's Clarke apologizing to America for "letting them down"? This whole thing smells like it was going to be a Democrat setup on Bush but it backfired.
Sandy's not known for lying, so I guess we'll just have to trust him here.
Well, the Commission couldn't very well request documents they didn't know about, could they, hmmm? So I'd guess this is a true statement.
Perhaps, but the Clintonistas know that Ashcroft is AG now, not Reno.
I agree. I also think Berger is a weak person. FBI twist his pinkie real hard and no telling what he might reveal.
He needs a safe house with several armed guards keeping watch 24/7. I'd sure hate for him to commit suicide.
Did anyone see MSNBC this evening. They interviewed Fawn Hall about the Sandy Berger incident. Fawn ofcourse shredded the documents in Iran Contra. Remember how beautiful Fawn was in 1987. OMG, this woman looked horrible. She totally lost her looks. She totally aged badly.
Keep in mind as you watch the Dems spin this story:
Every single thing they say has been pre-programmed by the Clinton legal team. They're putting out false news stories and false "facts" trying to get ahead of the time when the real scoop comes out. When the real facts come out they'll say it's old news. It's their M.O.
Berger's defense is going to be that he's a slob who loses papers and keeps a messy desk. Watch.
Good Work, Ronnie!
Oh, what a tangled web we weave..... : )
Checking in!
I'm going outside the mainstream here to say that I think that this has less to do with the former President and his spouse than it does with the sKerry campaign; that all the references to the Clintons are merely a smoke screen. As an unpaid "security" advisor to the sKerry campaign, Berger's advice had to involve: a) the idea that Clinton/Clarke did have a handle on the terror issue that President Bush somehow screwed up (and that was the reason for taking the Clarke millenium report drafts), and b) that the former administration passed along all this information about bin Laden and al Qaeda (and their powerful connections) to the current one (the reason for returning documents that were not originally taken, in a completely lame attempt to fudge the official record). Don't you all see? Clinton doesn't matter anymore; he and his staff are all discredited nothings who simply refuse to go away gracefully. It's all about power and ABB now.
What is truly delicious is that everytime the sKerry people (Wilson, Berger) try to say that President Bush is lying; they are the ones who end up discredited. Power is more important to these people than truth or liberty. It is a grim lesson of what we are up against.
You mean he didn't stop with stuffing classifed documents into his pants?
They'd probably reply: We lack the facts to respond to that... lol
Oh. I think I know which pic you're talking about. I don't think I have saved it.I'll look and if I have it, I'll upload and send you the URL and dimensions.
If you or anyone happens onto it, send it to me and I'll save it, upload and pass it back to you.
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