Hastert Statement on Berger Allegations

U.S. Newswire ^ | July 20, 2004

[we_will_prevail]

7/20/2004 12:54:00 PM

To: National Desk

Contact: John Feehery or Pete Jeffries, 202-225-2800, both of the Office of House Speaker Dennis Hastert

WASHINGTON, July 20 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Today, House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) released the following statement regarding allegations that former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger removed highly classified terrorism documents and handwritten notes from a secure reading room during preparations for the 9/11 Commission hearings:

"I am profoundly troubled by allegations that former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger removed highly classified documents from the National Archives regarding the Clinton Administration's handling of terrorist attacks prior to the September 11th attacks.

"What could those documents have said that drove Mr. Berger to remove them without authorization from a secure reading room for classified documents?

"What information could be so embarrassing that a man with decades of experience in handling classified documents would risk being caught pilfering our nation's most sensitive secrets?

"Did these documents detail simple negligence or did they contain something more sinister? Was this a bungled attempt to rewrite history and keep critical information from the 9/11 Commission and potentially put their report under a cloud?

"It is my understanding that Mr. Berger shoved this classified information into his clothing to smuggle them out of the National Archives. Press reports indicate that Archival staff became concerned when documents began to disappear and specifically marked additional documents to track them. A number of those documents also turned up missing.

"Mr. Berger has a lot of explaining to do. He was given access to these documents to assist the 9/11 Commission, not hide information from them. The American people and the 9/11 families don't want cover-ups when it comes to the War on Terror. They want the truth. And so does the U.S. House of Representatives."

[Check_Your_Premises]

"Why does every scandal involving the Democrats involve pants?"

I nominate this for comment of the day.

[Wil H]

Archival staff became concerned when documents began to disappear and specifically marked additional documents to track them. A number of those documents also turned up missing.

HE WAS OBVIOUSLY REMOVING DOCUMENTS ON AN ONGOING SYSTEMATIC BASIS FOR THE ARCHIVISTS TO HAVE DONE THIS

Berger is LYING THROUGH HIS TEETH.

HE HAS OBVIOUSLY DESTROYED LARGE NUMBERS OF DOCUMENTS.

[Wil H]

Archival staff became concerned when documents began to disappear and specifically marked additional documents to track them. A number of those documents also turned up missing.

HE WAS OBVIOUSLY REMOVING DOCUMENTS ON AN ONGOING SYSTEMATIC BASIS FOR THE ARCHIVISTS TO HAVE DONE THIS

Berger is LYING THROUGH HIS TEETH.

HE HAS OBVIOUSLY DESTROYED LARGE NUMBERS OF DOCUMENTS.

[Guillermo]

Why is Hastert so obsessed with Clinton's penis?

/s

[leprechaun9]

Hey Denny, I don't want a statement, I want to know what you are going to do about it, Mr. Speaker?

[conservativeammom]

Thank you Mr. Speaker.....you are spot on with this statement.

[Judith Anne]

Exactly. That is the info I have been waiting for. Everyone is acting as if they are, but if there are other copies of these documents, then there is no evidence of a nefarious deed.

On the contrary, NOTHING was to be removed from the archives. Even the notes he took become part of the archives, and are classified the same as the material he took them off.

However, there are two original pages (or more) that he took, that somehow "disappeared" (were "inadvertently discarded" according to Berger).

[NavySEAL F-16]

I think Tim gave up any credibility he had when he had Joe Wilson on and not addressed all that's come out since then. And, then last week with Byrd. Tim has no shame.

[freeperfromnj]

“However, 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, officials and lawyers told The Associated Press. “

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&e=2&u=/ap/20040720/ap_on_re_us/sept__11_berger_probe

I wonder if there was something there that was target and method specific.

[SaveTheChief]

I just don't understand how the obvious is ignored in this country.

I don't understand either. I am sick of hearing stories like the one this morning regarding the judicial decision that bag searches were not allowable at the Republican Convention.

I want to know why Sandy Berger isn't in a PRISON CELL awaiting trial right now.

We are living in strange times. We have possibly millions of enemies throughout the world who want nothing less than the destruction of the United States, and judging by the media attention, half of the population in our country agree with them!

We have Hollywood elites whining and crying about how their freedom of speech is being violated. They don't understand that we Americans do not need to agree with them. We don't need to be advocates of their twisted causes. We do have the power to not buy their product, and when we exercise our power, they cry foul! At they same time, they whine and moan about our President's intelligence. Well, these people are showing an incredible lack of knowledge and thought when they make these claims about right-wing conspiracies.

What these socialists really want is to be immune from any responsibility due to their actions. They want their twisted agenda to be implemented in our country and a great worker's paradise established. They want us all to serve the government. They have a real memory problem. Socialism doesn't work.

To add to your comment, not only is the obvious ignored in this country, but so is history.

[swampfox98]

"I am profoundly troubled by allegations that former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger removed highly classified documents from the National Archives regarding the Clinton Administration's handling of terrorist attacks prior to the September 11th attacks.

Meanwhile, Martha Stewart goes to jail, while the Clinton's buddy steals national security secrets and destroys them, because it makes Clinton look bad.

I am not profoundly troubled, I am profoundly sick of the Clintons being free to pull every criminal scheme known to man, and get away with it. And they will.

[WoodstockCat]

It would be great if Hastert would follow through and run a quick bill to the floor cutting off transportation costs, lighting, pens, pencils, paperclips, copiers, shredders..etc. for the 9/11 Commission until the Berger investigation is complete.

[SaveTheChief]

Let's hope republicans weigh the country's safety against their own personal future and decide to do what's right.

What have you been smoking? Can I have some? :-P

Nearly all office-holding bureaucrats and their minions in D.C. are power hungry. They will never commit political suicide for their country.

[gathersnomoss]

Agreed. How can we make a difference when we are not heard?

[ZULU]

Berger must have had a crash course at Hillery Clinton's "School for Missing Documents"

[TruBluKentuckian]

"On the contrary, NOTHING was to be removed from the archives. Even the notes he took become part of the archives, and are classified the same as the material he took them off."

We understand this fully. Whether there were copies of these documents or not has no bearing on the criminality of Berger's acts. That's not what we are questioning. Berger broke the law.

What we are questioning, and someone earlier alluded to this, is whether the 9/11 Commissioners were denied access to these documents. IF they were, and it appears they were, then this story had major legs, even if copies exist of the documents. This is where the story either becomes a scandal of huge magnitude or it just becomes a stupid crime that disappears from the news in a few days.

[ThomasMore]

Thanks for the thread. Hastert is right on.

[solo gringo]

Don't you just see entrapment written all over this just wait for berger to cry foul.They knew i was going to do this and they set a trap to catch me Boohoo boohoo they were out to get me.

[Judith Anne]

This is what I was responding to, from an earlier poster:

Exactly. That is the info I have been waiting for. Everyone is acting as if they are, but if there are other copies of these documents, then there is no evidence of a nefarious deed.