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| Sandy Berger lifted a whole bunch of top secret documents, reportedly stuffed them in his pants and socks, misplaced some of the purloined items and says it was all an honest mistake. |
Anyone even remotely associated with classified material knows that there is no such thing as an 'honest mistake' when it comes to controlled documents. There are far too many levels depending upon the classification. The documents in question were classified TS-CWA (Top Secret, Code Word Access), typically "Eyes Only". Even if they were only 'notes' as Sec. Berger claims, they still were classified. Each page is numbered "x of xxx" and signed for when they are removed from the vault, logged by the Classified Materials Control Center (CMCC), indicated where the items are to be taken and who is in possession of the item. They can only be viewed in highly controlled spaces.
Bottom line, a former NSA knows better. To have his boss attempt to shrug it off as "he was always messy" is to reveal just how cavalier the attitude of the former administration towards security was.