Posted on 10/08/2007 5:12:57 AM PDT by Anti-Bubba182
Sandy Berger, who stole highly classified terrorism documents from the National Archives, destroyed them and lied to investigators, is now an adviser to presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Berger, who was fired from John Kerry´s presidential campaign when the scandal broke in 2004, has assumed a similar role in Clinton´s campaign, even though his security clearance has been suspended until September 2008. This is raising eyebrows even among Clinton´s admirers.
“It shows poor judgment and a lack of regard for Berger´s serious misdeeds,” said law professor Jonathan Adler of Case Western Reserve University, who nonetheless called Clinton “by far the most impressive candidate in the Democratic field.”
Adler told The Examiner that it is “simply incomprehensible to me that a serious contender for the presidency would rely upon him as a key foreign policy advisor.”
He added: “If Senator Clinton becomes the Democratic nominee, at some point she will begin to receive national security briefings that will include sensitive information. At such a point, continuing to keep Berger on board as a key advisor, where he might have access to sensitive material, would be beyond incomprehensible.”
The Clinton campaign declined to comment.
Berger has admitted stealing documents from the National Archives in advance of the 9/11 Commission hearings in 2003. The documents, written by White House counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke, were a “tough review” of the Clinton administration´s shortcomings in dealing with terrorism, Clarke´s lawyer told the Washington Post.
On several occasions, Berger stuffed highly classified documents into his pants and socks before spiriting them out of the Archives building in Washington, according to investigators. On one occasion, upon reaching the street, he hid documents under a construction trailer after checking the windows of the Archives and Justice Department buildings to make sure he was not being watched.
Berger came back later and retrieved the documents, taking them home and cutting them up with scissors. Two days later, he was informed by Archive employees that his removal of documents had been detected.
“Berger panicked because he realized he was caught,” said a report by the National Archives inspector general, which also recounted his initial reaction. “Berger lied.”
Berger also lied to the public, telling reporters he made an “honest mistake” by “inadvertently” taking the documents, which he blamed on his own “sloppiness.” Bill Clinton vouched for the explanation for Berger, who served as his national security adviser.
Berger later conceded: “I was giving a benign explanation for what was not benign.”
The Justice Department initially said Berger stole only copies of classified documents and not originals. But the House Government Reform Committee later revealed that an unsupervised Berger had been given access to classified files of original, uncopied, uninventoried documents on terrorism. Several Archives officials acknowledged that Berger could have stolen any number of items and they “would never know what, if any, original documents were missing.”
At his sentencing in September 2005, Berger was fined $50,000, placed on probation for two years and stripped of his security clearance for three years.
APRIL 1, 2005 : (APRIL FOOL’S DAY : SANDY BERGER PLEADS GUILTY ON STOLEN DOCUMENTS CHARGE) Despite his April 1, 2005, guilty plea for Unauthorized Removal and Retention of Classified Material, Berger still vehemently denies smuggling any documents in his socks. According to the report, he said he was adjusting them “because his shoes frequently come untied and his socks frequently fall down.”——— “Bill Clinton authorized Sandy Berger’s access,” By Chelsea Schilling, WorldNetDaily, January 4, 2007
Tell me how $50,000 fine and 3 years probation add up to a misdemeanor?
As a plea bargain Berger gave up his profession as an attorney.
To date he can’t even get a job as a paralegal.
My heart really bleeds yellow water for him. Whatever it was that he destroyed must have been highly important to the Clintons.
Why the DOJ didn’t throw the book at him is beyond me.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,152108,00.html
yeah, isn’t it sad our system of government has come to this?
"Allowed," huh?
Like that will stop him.
Whats that old saying?....
Keep your friends close,....and your Enemys even closer!
She wants Berger where She can reach Him, if He starts to
ask for too much money.....He’ll commit “Arkancide”
HEH, you’ve been busy again!! Lol
Good graphics guys. So Sandy gets his clearance back in Sept. 2008. Hillary will rationalize that since he’s clear by the time she is inaugurated, what’s to worry? She has to have the crooks positioned well in advance to assure victory. What a nightmare. Now is no time to be single issue, unless the issue is national security.
The judge was actually PO'd at DoJ's suggested sentence, which I think included $10K, not $50K.
If Berger had been serving in Iraq and in uniform, and done the same thing, he'd now be in Leavenworth.
Apparently not content to rely merely upon her OWN substantial abilities to utilize purloined classified government documents for political gains (Filegate), as reported in the Washington Examiner, Hillary Clinton's campaign is now utilizing a true EXPERT - convicted classified document thief Sandy (Burglar) Berger - as an "ADVISOR" to the (her) 2008 Presidential campaign.
 UPDATE: Hillary now says, of Sandy Berger, "He has no official role in my campaign."
...One can only surmise that the response might well be similar, should someone inquire of
BILL CLINTON, whether Sandy Berger's 'work' in the National Archives, that of stealing and shredding classified documents, was 'officially' on behalf of the Clinton White House.
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Because they always follow the rule of law.
Hillary's copresidency cut our military 40% and gave their buddies the PLA our missile edge, our warheads, and every other toy in the armory.
Plus dodged the gift of Osama from Sudan thus allowing the one-trillion-hit on our GDP of 911 and al-Qaeda's gift that keeps on giving.
Berger was point man at Hogan & Hartson for the PRC account before becoming the Clintonovsky Commissar of National (wait for it) Security.
A chicom butt puppet as NSA--you can't make this stuff up.
.
That was “old news”!
During WWII he would have been hung or fried
Or sent on a “mission” as FDR did for a riding instructor
Very nice Seadog! You always add a touch of humor too!
Lol, my post was that you had made a new burglar and Hillary gif!
.
I know!
I posted it 2-3 times I think
It took a second try on a TP BG
A bit wider and I can add Hsu!
“I’d like to thank the little people....”
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