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Berger Will Plead Guilty to Taking Classified Paper
Washington Post ^ | 04/01/05 | John F. Harris and Allan Lengel

Posted on 03/31/2005 8:22:45 PM PST by conservative in nyc

Samuel R."Sandy" Berger, a former White House national security adviser, plans to plead guilty to a misdemeanor, and will acknowledge intentionally removing and destroying copies of a classified document about the Clinton administration's record on terrorism.

Berger's plea agreement, which was described yesterday by his advisers and was confirmed by Justice Department officials, will have one of former president Bill Clinton's most influential advisers and one of the Democratic Party's leading foreign policy advisers in a federal court this afternoon.

The deal's terms make clear that Berger spoke falsely last summer in public claims that in 2003 he twice inadvertently walked off with copies of a classified document during visits to the National Archives, then later lost them.

He described the episode last summer as "an honest mistake." Yesterday, a Berger associate who declined to be identified by name but was speaking with Berger's permission said: "He recognizes what he did was wrong... It was not inadvertent."

Under terms negotiated by Berger's attorneys and the Justice Department, he has agreed to pay a $10,000 fine and accept a three-year suspension of his national security clearance. These terms must be accepted by a judge before they are final, but Berger's associates said yesterday he believes that closure is near on what has been an embarrassing episode during which he repeatedly misled people about what happened during two visits to the National Archives in September and October 2003.

--Snip--

The terms of Berger's agreement required him to acknowledge to the Justice Department the circumstances of the episode. Rather than misplacing or unintentionally throwing away three of the five copies he took from the archives, as the former national security adviser earlier maintained, he shredded them with a pair of scissors late one evening at the downtown offices of his international consulting business.

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


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: berger; clintonlegacy; conpsiracy; coverup; sandyberger; sanydyburglar; socksgate; soxgate; whitewash
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Good to see Sandy the Burglar is going to lose his security clearance. The $10,000 is a slap on the wrist, though.

Something's not quite right here -- what was he looking for if he shreaded the similar copies? There must have been something incriminating in the document he didn't shred.

1 posted on 03/31/2005 8:22:45 PM PST by conservative in nyc
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To: conservative in nyc

Looks like the whole thing is a "slap on the wrist".


2 posted on 03/31/2005 8:24:40 PM PST by TheLion
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To: conservative in nyc
A 3 year suspension of his security clearance????

WTH?

3 posted on 03/31/2005 8:25:05 PM PST by Texas Eagle (If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all)
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To: Texas Eagle

No kidding.

This guy should have done some time.

So much for the serious state of National Security.


4 posted on 03/31/2005 8:26:13 PM PST by ArmyBratproud
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To: conservative in nyc

This moron should be imprisoned.


5 posted on 03/31/2005 8:26:48 PM PST by a_dem_no_more (Pray for Terri's soul and the Holy Father)
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To: Southack
PING.

More info on Sandy the Burglar's penalty here.
6 posted on 03/31/2005 8:28:17 PM PST by conservative in nyc
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To: conservative in nyc

The ironic thing about this episode, is that it was completely unnecessary. The 9-11 commission and the media gave Clintonistas a complete pass, despite the fact that these idiots are probably more responsible for 9-11 (by passing on Bin Laden) than anyone else on the planet (except the actual hijackers, of course).

-R


7 posted on 03/31/2005 8:28:49 PM PST by talosiv
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To: ArmyBratproud
No shit. I wouldn't be surprised if they made the suspension retro-active to 3 years ago.

What a bunch of pieces of crap we have governing us.

8 posted on 03/31/2005 8:28:52 PM PST by Texas Eagle (If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all)
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To: conservative in nyc

All he gets is a misdemeanor plea!!!!!


If I'd have taken docs from the archives, I'd be "bustin rocks" till my hair falls out!!


9 posted on 03/31/2005 8:35:25 PM PST by blastdad51 (Proud father of an Enduring Freedom vet, and friend of a soldier lost in Afghanistan)
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To: conservative in nyc

If I had done that, I'd be sitting in prison. The political elite live by different rules.


10 posted on 03/31/2005 8:36:08 PM PST by DB (©)
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To: Texas Eagle
What a bunch of pieces of crap we have governing us.

That is what we have been noticing for a number of weeks. To think, that somewhere out there is a 15-year old kid who will be spending the next 6 months on probation for accidentally taking a butter knife into school. This country is screwd up and I refuse to support either party until they clean up their act.
11 posted on 03/31/2005 8:36:38 PM PST by ARCADIA (Abuse of power comes as no surprise)
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To: Texas Eagle
"A 3 year suspension of his security clearance????"

Only a 3 year suspension? The injustice of it all.

Just imagine the torture those papers went through from him stuffing them down his pants. The image of it has me terrified. :-)

12 posted on 03/31/2005 8:38:15 PM PST by Spunky ("Everyone has a freedom of choice, but not of consequences.")
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To: conservative in nyc; All
A guy steals classified documents, and it's considered a misdemeanor. Pay close attention...we live in a moronic nation that deserves to fall.
13 posted on 03/31/2005 8:39:05 PM PST by Vision (When Hillary Says She's Going To Put The Military On Our Borders...She Becomes Our Next President)
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To: conservative in nyc

Why should he get his security clearance back after three years? Does everyone maintain their clearance after they are not working in an official capacity anymore?


14 posted on 03/31/2005 8:41:38 PM PST by scott7278 ("Please disperse...there is nothing to see here.")
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To: conservative in nyc
"Berger Will Plead Guilty to Taking Classified Paper"

Well the little prick was caught stuffing the papers down his pants. He should plead friggin' guilty.

15 posted on 03/31/2005 8:42:32 PM PST by Khurkris (This tagline is available on CD ROM)
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To: conservative in nyc

Outrageous. Compare the seriousness of his crimes to Ebbers, Stewart, Lay, Kozlowski and the time they have/are/will serve. Berger should be put away for a few years as a message to others in govt. What a double standard.


16 posted on 03/31/2005 8:42:52 PM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: conservative in nyc

Another travesty of justice.


17 posted on 03/31/2005 8:44:25 PM PST by SWAMPSNIPER (Let Me Die on My Feet in the Swamp, BUAIDH NO BAS)
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To: conservative in nyc

If he was a Pubbie the RATS would NEVER accept anything without some jail time. And the DOJ would fall on it's knees to please them.


18 posted on 03/31/2005 8:45:16 PM PST by Waco
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To: conservative in nyc

BTTT


19 posted on 03/31/2005 8:45:47 PM PST by nopardons
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To: conservative in nyc

Another travesty of justice.


20 posted on 03/31/2005 8:45:47 PM PST by SWAMPSNIPER (Let Me Die on My Feet in the Swamp, BUAIDH NO BAS)
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