Sandy Berger Pleads Guilty to Destroying Classified Document

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.

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.

The document, written by former National Security Council terrorism expert Richard A. Clarke, was an "after-action review" prepared in early 2000 detailing the administration's actions to thwart terrorist attacks during the millennium celebration. It contained considerable discussion about the administration's awareness of the rising threat of attacks on U.S. soil.

Note Berger's name buried in this old AP article from July of 1998, then consider the stakes and the players mentioned:

By Tom Raum
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congressional Republicans have stopped trying to override President Clinton's veto of a bill that wo uld have imposed sanctions on companies that aid Iran's weapons programs. But House Speaker Newt Gingrich says he will reschedule such an attempt if the administration fails to follow through with penalties on nine Russian enterprises.

Republican leaders on Friday indefinitely postponed the override vote, even though supporters of the rejected measure h ad far more than the two-thirds majorities needed in each chamber for an override. The sanctions legislation had passed the House 392-22 in May and the Senate 90-4 in June.

Gingrich, R-Ga., suggested the legislation was unnecessary after the administration earlier this week said it would use existing laws to impose the sanctions on the Russian companies.

The administration action, and Friday's suspension of the override vote, followed a meeting earlier this week involving Gingrich, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., and White House national security adviser Sandy Berger.

``We said flatly we were going to override the veto of the Iran sanctions bill this week. And I was delighted when, by Wednesday, suddenly, magically, overnight, they got things done we've been asking for for over a year,'' Gingrich said.

In announcing the sanctions, the White House said the nine enterprises were found to be aiding weapons programs in Iran , Libya and North Korea. At the same time, the Russian government announced its own investigation into the nine enterpr ises for export-law violations.

The U.S. actions include trade restrictions and cutoff of American assistance.

GOP aides said that Lott originally wanted to go ahead with a vote but that Gingrich believed that withholding an overr ide vote would give the United States additional leverage over Moscow.

In any event, ``The bill's been pulled,'' said John Czwartacki, a Lott spokesman.

Both the House and the Senate must vote by two-thirds majorities to override a veto.

Although the legislation would impose sanctions on any nations exporting missile technology to Iran, it was aimed mainl y at Russia.

Rep. Benjamin Gilman, R-N.Y., chairman of the House International Affairs Committee and the sponsor of the vetoed legis lation, complained that the administration appeared to have announced the sanctions solely to head off a veto vote.

``It is shameful that the administration has not taken meaningful action until now against the threat to international peace and security posed by the proliferation of Russian missile technology to Iran,'' Gilman said.

He said he still intends to urge House leaders ``to schedule an override vote at an early date.''

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