Posted on 07/20/2004 6:33:22 AM PDT by foolscap
Sandy Berger Not Front Page News in Some Major Newspapers
(CNSNews.com) - President Clinton's National Security Adviser Sandy Berger - who has been advising the Kerry campaign on foreign policy -- confirms he is the target of a criminal investigation for removing copies of classified terrorism documents from a secure reading room at the National Archives.
Some copies were never returned, press reports said. The documents reportedly discuss the Clinton administration's response to various terror threats.
Berger admits he walked out of the reading room with handwritten notes stuck in his pockets. Copies of classified documents were "inadvertently" removed in a leather portfolio. "I deeply regret the sloppiness involved," Berger said in a statement to the Associated Press on Monday.
The documents in question are said to be critical of the Clinton administration.
But Berger said he had no intention of withholding documents from the 9/11 commission. "To the contrary, to my knowledge, every document requested by the commission from the Clinton administration was produced," Berger said in the statement,
"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.
Timing of leak 'suspicious'
David Gergen, a former adviser to President Clinton, told NBC's Today show on Tuesday that the situation is "more innocent than it looks."
He said Berger would never do anything to compromise national security.
In fact, Gergen called Berger "one of the heroes in the war against terrorism." He said Berger - as the millennium approached - led the effort to prevent a terror attack on the Los Angeles airport and other targets in the U.S. Gergen said Berger successfully thwarted the airport attack.
Gergen admits Berger violated Archive rules by leaving the building with notes on classified documents. But, he added, "It's not a serious violation."
Taking copies of classified documents is also forbidden. But, Gergen noted, the originals were never removed, and the 9/11 commission was never denied access to documents.
Gergen said the investigation of Berger started months ago, and he called it "suspicious" and "questionable" that the story was leaked in the same week that the 9/11 commission plans to release its report on the events and intelligence leading up to the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
Gergen said the publicity about Berger has the "overtones" of being a distraction from the 9/11 commission's findings. "Let's let more facts come out," he added.
As for Berger's role in advising Sen. Kerry, Gergen said the revelations may force Berger to distance himself from the soon-to-be Democratic nominee.
"I think a lot depends on how it bounces in the press, what his opponents do to it," Gergen said. "So far it's not been given - The Washington Post played it inside the newspaper, did not play it on their front page today."
But, Gergen added, "If this suddenly becomes a front page story - and there's a lot of whoop-dee-do about it - then there will be some pressure on him to distance himself [from the Kerry campaign]."
The Washington Post played the story at the top of page 2. The New York Times played the story at the bottom of Page 16. USA Today was among the newspapers playing it above the fold on the front page.
You may be right, he may have been playing for time. I hope so. My fear is that too much of that kind of talk will help it get swept under the rug.
Thanks for posting this:
As a lawyer, Berger knows what this means. However, as former member of the Clintoon inner circle, he still thought that there was no controlling legal authority!
As a former (repeat) White House employee, Gergen and Berger both would be familiar with "Executive Order 12958, As Amended, Classified National Security Information"
So Gergen in particular would know that what he's saying above is simply not true.
Presumably Berger would have been briefed by the National Archives on his access rights and responsibilities, and would have signed some kind of authorization document.
PART 4--SAFEGUARDING
Sec. 4.1. General Restrictions on Access. (a) A person may have access to classified information provided that:
(1) a favorable determination of eligibility for access has been made by an agency head or the agency heads designee;
(2) the person has signed an approved nondisclosure agreement; and
(3) the person has a need-to-know the information.
(b) Every person who has met the standards for access to classified information in paragraph (a) of this section shall receive contemporaneous training on the proper safeguarding of classified information and on the criminal, civil, and administrative sanctions that may be imposed on an individual who fails to protect classified information from unauthorized disclosure.
[snip]
(d) Classified information may not be removed from official premises without proper authorization.
Sec. 4.4. Access by Historical Researchers and Certain Former Government Personnel. (a) The requirement in section 4.1(a)(3) of this order that access to classified information may be granted only to individuals who have a need-to-know the information may be waived for persons who:
(1) are engaged in historical research projects;
(2) previously have occupied policy-making positions to which they were appointed by the President under section 105(a)(2)(A) of title 3, United States Code, or the Vice President under 106(a)(1)(A) of title 3, United States Code;
Hmmm, wasn't Fawn Hall hauled in front of a Congressional investigating committee back in the 70's for something similar to this? Yah, you know it's only a 9/11 commission we are talking about here. The nations security...3,000 plus dead from an attack on the homeland....two of the worlds largest buildings destroyed....The Pentagon.... a plane down in PA.
I guess this is less important than the Nicaragua scandal. Must be because Sandy Burger can shove secret documents into his BVD's at will and not have to answer to anyone. Except for his bosses, The Clintoons.
I don't give a s*@t if this is a political hot potatoe, our nations security is at stake here. And this a*%hole can just walk while my family and friends lives are at risk. Hang his @ss.
Bingo, exactly why this story will die a rapid death.
As a lawyer, he also knows that pleading "forgetfulness" is not a defense in this matter. Mere negligence in the handling of classified materials is also a prosecutable offense.
But it very much looks like he was trying to sanitize the files.
As they watched him doing this, the National Archives staffers must have thought he was completely nuts.
My question is this, why are these people given special treatment to the point of placing every citizen within the US at risk? I guess 9/11 never happened. WTF?
I believe he qualifies for full hamburglar status now. /s/ Ronald McD
Chill dude. This story will die quickly. We have a campaign to cover. This is all VRWC stuff.
Don't forget to duck the next time we are attacked. And you can, once again thank the Clintoons for their help.
Exactly!
Stonebridge International LLC
led by former National Security Advisor Samuel R. Berger, firm assists U.S. and foreign businesses with investment opportunities globally.
http://www.stonebridge-international.com/
Total horsepuckey; it was an astute Customs agent on the Washington/Canada border. Berger had not a damn thing to do with preventing anything.
I'm not sure THIS story will be dying off that quickly. And, yes, I'll duck.
John Glenn's career of distinguished service ended when he retired from being an astronaut.
San Francisco Comical...page 3....still fuming over the Governor's "girlie-man" comment..page 1.
It is very important to the media that this die a swift death.
We shall see. I don't think there's enough cat litter in the world to cover up Berger's "business".
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