Berger May Have Taken Documents That Replaced Earlier Documents He Took!

Washington Post ^ | Monday, July 19, 2004; 9:11 PM | By John Solomon

[joinedafterattack]

WASHINGTON -- 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.

[joinedafterattack]

Buried on Page 2: "Breuer said the Archives staff first raised concerns with Berger during an Oct. 2 review of documents that at least one copy of the post-millennium report he had reviewed earlier was missing. Berger was given a second copy that day, Breuer said. Officials familiar with the investigation said Archives staff specially marked the documents and when the new copy and others disappeared, Archives officials called Clinton attorney Bruce Lindsey to report the disappearance."

[Jank]

Then he beat a path to every news station, to bad mouth
The President....

[scott7278]

"In the course of reviewing over several days thousands of pages of documents on behalf of the Clinton administration in connection with requests by the Sept. 11 commission, I inadvertently took a few documents from the Archives," Berger said.

"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.

It probably would have been better to remain silent than pull a Clinton.

[spectre]

"Archives officials called Clinton attorney Bruce Lindsey to report the disappearance."

Errr..shouldn't the "archives officials" have CALLED THE FBI FIRST????

[GladesGuru]

Well, let's see - when a person disappeared it was dubbed "Arkancide".

When a document disappears in DC would it be "Docucide"?

[Endeavor]

this has the odor of a body in Fort Marcy Park.

[quantim]

We can only hope.  Someday.

[Lancey Howard]

....Archives officials called Clinton attorney Bruce Lindsey to report the disappearance."

Har! That's the best part!
It's like calling Vito Corleone to report that Sonny is in trouble again!

[Just mythoughts]

"Buried on Page 2: "Breuer said the Archives staff first raised concerns with Berger during an Oct. 2 review of documents that at least one copy of the post-millennium report he had reviewed earlier was missing."

Berger in October 2, 2003, all after Joe Wilson. Clarke was writing his book during this time.

[LincolnLover]

Each time I refresh, it seems like a new Berger-related story is posted to the site.

Unbelievable. If there really is fire amidst all this smoke, talk about the ultimate "Clinton smothers and steps all over John Kerry's convention" scenario.

Could we dare to dream of a smoldering Clinton-era scandal that stretches through the Dem convention, only to peter out just in time for the GOP convention in New York?

To quote my favorite movie, Blazing Saddles, "Dare, Dare!"

[Shermy]

Same story, no Washington Post posting restrictions.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040720/ap_on_re_us/sept__11_berger_probe_6

[Texas Eagle]

"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.

To my knowledge? WTF?

[TurnerBrown]

**When a document disappears in DC would it be "Docucide"? **

We'd have to ask Hillary that question, no?

[Citizen Tom Paine]

When one works for the Federal Government or a contractor supporting a government agency one has to have a "need to know" before one gets access to the information or document. Concurrently, one has to be cleared to the appropriate level. As an example, if you have a need to know something on the Secret level you undergo a background investigation and then are cleared for Secret. This Secret clearance only gives you access to info which you need to know. Similarly for Top Secret information except the restrictions are much more restrictive.

Someone that is cleared has to sign out the documents that they look at, and they have to return them when they are finished looking at them. This is done each day (and each time that you look at them) You may not even leave them on your desk when you go out to lunch. Theoretically, a document will be missed by the security officer on the day that the document is not returned. The security officer will know this when they close out their log for the day's activities.

The first question is why did Mr Berger have a need to know about these documents. The second question is if he did have a need to know did he have the appropriate clearances to read them. The third question is why didn't the security officer nail him on the afternoon of the first day when he tried to remove one. And the fourth question is why isn't he now in an appropriate slammer?

I certainly would like to know.

[no dems]

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

He couldn't locate two or three copies of a highly classified report. Gee, I'll sure sleep a lot better tonight.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Just in case you missed this tidbit, see replies #1 & 4.

[Howlin]

Apparently he took the same report on two different occasions? Am I wrong about that?

[auntdot]

"Yes, your Honor, I had just eaten a PB&J sandwich, and you know how sticky your fingers can get from that.

Then, I had to, well, you know, scratch down there.

It was an itchy afternoon, and I had to scratch a lot.

Imagine my shock when I got home and found all those papers in my shorts!

I promise never to eat PB&J sandwiches again while in the Archives."

Anyone want to bet he doesn't gets a walk with that story, or one equally as ludicrous?

[mathurine]

Anybody who has ever worked for the government knows that you don't take classified documents home. Berger is either incredibly stupid, which reflects poorly on Clinton, who used him as national security advisor; or badly on Berger, himself, who was either stupid enough, or perverse enough, to purloin highly classified documents. Long time in jail awaits Berger, or he plea bargains and discloses more than we may have wanted to know about the Klintoons.

[Texas Eagle]

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.

His home and offices were searched earlier this year? How much earlier?

Is this an old story?