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Berger Quits Kerry Team Amid Probe (Balt. Sun Beats WaPo by 24 hours)
The Baltimore Sun ^ | Wednesday, July 21, 2004 | Mark Matthews and Laura Sullivan

Posted on 07/21/2004 8:44:10 PM PDT by kristinn

snip

One former government official who reviewed the documents said they were marked "code-word secret" because they contained intercepts from the National Security Agency about possible terrorist threats in Jordan.

Another source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said National Archives staff watched Berger through a glass door as he appeared to put pieces of paper in his jacket pocket.

snip

Last fall, Berger reviewed thousands of Clinton administration documents at the National Archives that were being sought by the Sept. 11 panel. Two law enforcement sources said archives officials had suspected Berger removed documents during an early visit, and made sure they secretly coded and copied records for the next time he came.

snip

Berger had previously aroused suspicions, one source said, because several reports he had looked at were missing. The staff called Bruce Lindsey, former deputy counsel to President Bill Clinton who was a Clinton liaison to the archives, to offer a chance to clear up the issue and retrieve the records, the source said. Lindsey could not be reached for comment.

The source said the records Berger returned through Lindsey were not the same records the staff had suspected were missing, which suggested that more records were missing than the staff had realized. "That's when they started coding the documents," the source said.

When Berger returned for his next visit, the staff watched him as he appeared to put papers in his pocket, the source said. An archives spokeswoman declined to comment.

snip

(Excerpt) Read more at baltimoresun.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: kerry; sandyberger
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The Baltimore Sun had this story in Wednesday's papers. No offense to Drudge, but the Washington Post details advanced to him are a day old.
1 posted on 07/21/2004 8:44:12 PM PDT by kristinn
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To: Howlin

FYI.


2 posted on 07/21/2004 8:44:35 PM PDT by kristinn
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To: kristinn
Last fall, Berger reviewed thousands of Clinton administration documents at the National Archives that were being sought by the Sept. 11 panel. Two law enforcement sources said archives officials had suspected Berger removed documents during an early visit, and made sure they secretly coded and copied records for the next time he came.

Holy...
3 posted on 07/21/2004 8:47:15 PM PDT by Bronco_Buster_FweetHyagh
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To: Bronco_Buster_FweetHyagh

If I'm understanding correctly, this means that it may never be completely known what he removed on the first visit(s) before the staff became suspicious. As you say, holy...


4 posted on 07/21/2004 8:51:03 PM PDT by JustaCowgirl (The Democratic party has been hijacked by terrorists.)
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To: JustaCowgirl

Yes..but that begs the question. Did the Archive give him access to the originals, without having made copies? Is it possible that he took out documents which will never be able to be replaced?


5 posted on 07/21/2004 8:52:59 PM PDT by Bronco_Buster_FweetHyagh
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To: Bronco_Buster_FweetHyagh
And the dem spokespeople and 9/11 mouthpieces that are saying that Berger "only took copies of original docs, and that all the originals are still in possession of the Archives" are full of sh*t.

It's pretty clear from this story that Berger had his hands on the original versions of various interim drafts of the Clarke memo, and the interim drafts may have contained some damaging points that were 'deleted' from the offical report.

6 posted on 07/21/2004 8:54:03 PM PDT by WL-law
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To: kristinn

I'll say exactly what I said on the Drudge thread:


We here at FR knew most, if not all, of this by early Tuesday morning.


7 posted on 07/21/2004 8:54:31 PM PDT by Howlin (~~~~Today is the day AFTER my sixth year FR anniversary~~~~)
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To: Bronco_Buster_FweetHyagh

That too.


8 posted on 07/21/2004 8:54:36 PM PDT by JustaCowgirl (The Democratic party has been hijacked by terrorists.)
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To: WL-law

From the Sun story:

"Accounts differed on how many documents were missing. One source said five or six early versions of the Clarke critique - ranging from 20 to 30 pages each - were missing.

Berger had previously aroused suspicions, one source said, because several reports he had looked at were missing. The staff called Bruce Lindsey, former deputy counsel to President Bill Clinton who was a Clinton liaison to the archives, to offer a chance to clear up the issue and retrieve the records, the source said. Lindsey could not be reached for comment.

The source said the records Berger returned through Lindsey were not the same records the staff had suspected were missing, which suggested that more records were missing than the staff had realized. "That's when they started coding the documents," the source said.

When Berger returned for his next visit, the staff watched him as he appeared to put papers in his pocket, the source said. An archives spokeswoman declined to comment."


9 posted on 07/21/2004 8:55:38 PM PDT by WL-law
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To: Howlin

True, but I want to give The Sun their props.


10 posted on 07/21/2004 8:57:27 PM PDT by kristinn
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To: Howlin

He got caught, returned documents they didn't know he had taken, and then he took some more. Did I read that right? Is he really that stupid?


11 posted on 07/21/2004 8:58:10 PM PDT by Samwise (a little song / a little dance / a little document down your pants.)
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To: kristinn
Remember this quote of Berger's from the very first stories:

The 9-11 Commission saw every document they asked for."

Now, how did they know what to ask for?

And let's not forget something else: Ashcroft could NOT have been clearer that Janet Reno did NOT show him the 2000 Millennium after-report.

12 posted on 07/21/2004 8:58:14 PM PDT by Howlin (~~~~Today is the day AFTER my sixth year FR anniversary~~~~)
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To: Bronco_Buster_FweetHyagh

This is why the "honest mistake" excuse Berger offered isn't being taken seriously--except by David Gergen.


13 posted on 07/21/2004 8:59:30 PM PDT by kristinn
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To: kristinn

Oh, I am right with you on that one; my post didn't come out like I meant it. I was not trashing The Sun; the Washington Post blew this one big time.


14 posted on 07/21/2004 9:01:22 PM PDT by Howlin (~~~~Today is the day AFTER my sixth year FR anniversary~~~~)
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To: Howlin
Exactly.

I also like his Tuesday night statement that he's cooperated with the investigation "fully and completely"--except for the missing documents he stole.

15 posted on 07/21/2004 9:01:39 PM PDT by kristinn
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To: kristinn; MeekOneGOP; potlatch; devolve; Happy2BMe; PhilDragoo; Lady Jag; Kathy in Alaska



16 posted on 07/21/2004 9:02:06 PM PDT by Smartass ( BUSH & CHENEY IN 2004 - Si vis pacem, para bellum - Por el dedo de Dios se escribió.)
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To: BigSkyFreeper

Over here!


17 posted on 07/21/2004 9:03:55 PM PDT by Howlin (~~~~Today is the day AFTER my sixth year FR anniversary~~~~)
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To: Howlin; kattracks
I didn't read it that way.

Memo to kattracks, the night shift might want to check The Baltimore Sun for articles like this while the story unfolds.

18 posted on 07/21/2004 9:04:32 PM PDT by kristinn
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To: Howlin
The 9-11 Commission saw every document they asked for."

Why in the world was the Commission asking this now private citizen to get them records from the National Archives. Surely they could request them from the Archives directly if they knew enough to specifically ask for those documents.

19 posted on 07/21/2004 9:06:05 PM PDT by JohnBovenmyer (I)
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To: kristinn

bump


20 posted on 07/21/2004 9:06:41 PM PDT by RippleFire ("It was just a scratch")
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