Posted on 12/20/2006 2:12:49 PM PST by Mr. Mojo
Former national security adviser Sandy Berger removed classified documents from the National Archives in 2003 and hid them under a construction trailer, the Archives inspector general reported Wednesday. The report was issued more than a year after Berger pleaded guilty and received a criminal sentence for removal of the documents.
Inspector General Paul Brachfeld reported that when Berger was confronted by Archives officials about the missing documents, he said it was possible he threw them in his office trash.
The report said that when Archives employees first suspected that Berger _ who had been President Clinton's national security adviser _ was removing classified documents from the Archives in the fall of they failed to notify any law enforcement agency.
Berger, who pleaded guilty to unlawfully removing and retaining classified documents, was fined $50,000, ordered to perform 100 hours of community service and was barred from access to classified material for three years.
The report said that when Berger was reviewing the classified documents in the Archives building a few blocks from the Capitol, employees saw him bending down and fiddling with something white, which could have been paper, around his ankle.
However, Archives employees did not feel at the time there was enough information to confront someone of Berger's stature, the report said.
Brachfeld reported that on one visit, Berger took a break to go outside without an escort.
"In total, during this visit, he removed four documents ... .
"Mr. Berger said he placed the documents under a trailer in an accessible construction area outside Archives 1 (the main Archives building)."
Berger acknowledged that he later retrieved the documents from the construction area and returned with them to his office.
Berger, with the authorization of former President Clinton, was reviewing National Security Council documents on Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida, Sudan, and related presidential correspondence. The review was to facilitate Berger's impending testimony before the House and Senate intelligence committees.
Has anyone found the actual IG's report online?
YES. The sad part was how many of the Clinton Admin. were rushed through for the TS clearance process at the last minute. Full BI's take longer then a a week to process, as every place you lived, all neighbors who knew you are interviewed and, the Feds are supposed to dig real deep.
The saddest note is how often the Clinton Admin. routinely disclosed highly classified info, as well as what this jerk did.
Now, take any military man who even had an affair, and his TS clearance would be stripped. Sandy is no better then the Walker spy ring or any traitor in our nation's history.
Under Clinton, the Chinese stole this nation's most sensitive nuclear and other operational secrets,
So the traitor gets a slap on the wrist while any NCO or officer on duty who even misplaced a mere confidential document would face a Courts Martial plus time in Leavenworth.
What a joke.
...And people complain about Bush "lying" (even though the UN was asserting the same; we never did find the 8,500 liters of anthrax Blix initially reported was there etc.)?
This Berger activity is DELIBERATE, weapons grade illegal.
And the Dems want Hillary for President? geez
They're the experts on "a CULTURE OF CORRUPTION."
Amazing. And the Bush administration does nothing! There is nothing honorable about Bush's behavior. The 'new tone' has been a disaster for this country. The Bushes aren't fit to lead when they allow this type of behavior all in the name of what 'good' people they are. They're fools, each and every one of them and this country pays for it.
Washington is such rubbish. These politicos look out for each other. Professional courtesy. If the average citizen did this, they'd never get a security clearance again.
I think it has more to do with his blind eye to the Al Qaida problem, you know, the one Clinton so fervently denies.
Sandy Berger was willing to risk:
1. A felony 'theft of classified documents' charge.
2. Public exposure if caught.
3. Possible jail-time.
This guy was willing to take some HUGE personal risks to hide/change some damaging information.
He didn't do this on his own. He did this because someone needed cover. Wonder if there are any phone/communications records linking Jamie Gorelick to Sandy Berger?
In hindsight, George W Bush is a total wimp. Jamie Gorelick should have never been allowed anywhere near the 9/11 commission, except to testify as a witness. When her name first came up, she should have been immediately disqualified for a seat.
Even worse, she should have been immediately removed by the president when John Ashcroft outed her.
Nearly 3000 people killed in one day by terrorists, and all did to figure out how it happened was to convene a bunch of politicians to whitewash the whole affair.
I still believe that illegally obtaining the FBI files on all those Republicans was the master stroke from the get-go. The Clintons were able to succesfully neuter most of the long-time Washington politicians. I believe that is why the Repubs in the Senate, the heavy-guns, are so spineless. They know that their political careers can be ended if they supply too much opposition.
Why do the Dems leave them there? So that when key votes come up, they can have the Senators cave and vote with the Democrats.
I think Hillary needs to be beaten over the head with this. "Senator Clinton do you have a comment on this?", "Would Berger be part of your administration?" "Do you rely on his advice?"
The second gauling issue is how the media is only reporting the new items. This story is a lot more damaging if ALL of Berger's actions are taken in sequence.
Lastly, I'm sick of hearing how "no originals were destroyed". Bimbos! It's the damaging hand-noted copies he wanted to disappear forever! Who maybe wrote that Clinton's anti-terror policies were feckless? Who maybe wrote that worse attacks were coming, perhaps citing the '93 WTC attack?! Did someone write a note to Clinton saying he needs to pursue OBL harder? We'll never know.
Yep, right on. MSM ignoring all of Berger's lies. Inadvertent?!? Yeah, he accidently hid documents under a trailer and accidently cut them up into pieces.
The fact he risked so much tells you that whatever was in there was truly significant. OBL? TWA? China? We'll know someday.
I gather from your screen name you haven't always held that opinion?
That said, I'm disillusioned with them as well.
sw
What people need to understand is that you don't "make nicey" with cutthroats who will try to beat you any way they can.
Thanks for posting this.
ping to Grampa dave
Today's NYT story appears to be buried (would need the print edition to find the page number and placement:
Thanks Ernest.
ASA Vet for your ping list. One can only imagine what would happen to anyone on your ping list if they did what this traitor did.
Remember when he said that stuffing them down his pants was an 'oversight' and an 'innocent mistake'? Yeah? & hiding them under a trailer was an 'honest mistake' too evidently http://sacredscoop.com
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