Posted on 03/21/2008 9:30:52 AM PDT by SmithL
WASHINGTON -- State Department employees inappropriately examined the passport files of Democratic Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican candidate Sen. John McCain, a security breach that forced Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to apologize to Obama.
Rice said Friday she apologized to Obama for a security breach in which three State Department contractors reviewed his file on three occasions earlier this year. Two of the employees were fired and a third disciplined.
"I told him that I was sorry, and I told him that I myself would be very disturbed," Rice told reporters.
Separately, Clinton issued a statement saying Rice told her that her passport file was breached in 2007.
The State Department said the same contract employee who examined Barack Obama�s file also looked at McCain�s.
The State Department's inspector general is investigating the Obama passport breach, which occurred on three separate occasions -- Jan. 9, Feb. 21 and as recently as last week, on March 14. On Friday, the department announced that the Justice Department would be monitoring the probe in case it needs to get involved.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Friday that the State Department would make results of the investigation available to congressional oversight committees and to Obama's office.
Bill Burton, a spokesman for Obama's presidential campaign, has called the incident "an outrageous breach of security and privacy."
Two of the employees were fired for the security breach and the third was disciplined but is still working, the department said Thursday. It would not release the names of those who were fired and disciplined or the names of the two companies for which they worked.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
File Under Fired
Monday, Nov. 23, 1992
THE PASSPORT-FILE SCANDAL AT THE U.S. STATE Department has claimed a victim. Swamped by allegations that her subordinates searched the passport records of Ross Perot, Bill Clinton and Clintons mother Virginia Kelley during the presidential campaign, Assistant Secretary of State Elizabeth M. Tamposi was forced to resign her post. Tamposi released a statement saying, in part, I took no action that I deemed wrong or inappropriate. Not only that: she has reportedly told auditors that political appointee John F.W. Rogers, Under Secretary of State for Management, approved the search of Clintons files.
Investigators are also examining whether anyone from the White House or the Bush re-election campaign was involved. Commented Clinton: If I catch anybody using the State Department like that when Im President, you wont have to wait until after the election to see them gone.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,977042,00.html
Clinton’s file is improperly viewed. She says nothing.
McCain’s file is improperly viewed. He says nothing.
Obama’s file is improperly viewed. He goes nuts.
“Me thinks he doth protesteth too much.”
Will anyone explain the great significance of his passport file, and will anyone what is in there that he is afraid to let out in public? Other than a blank page?
Maybe this is the set up to see if he accompanied Wright and Farrakahn on the Khadafi trip....hmmm but I guess I only think that cause I am A typical white...
We need a typical whitey Youtube video
Damn it, demand that they release the files. It’s not about them, it’s about us.
This is all from Obama’s change the subject playbook, chapter 3.
He’s trying to change the subject.
At the very least it shows just how sensitive Obama is when anyone starts snooping around his past. Anyone who does not robotically fawn over his wonderful speeches is to be slapped down hard. It’s all a “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” reaction.
Thank goodness it’s not just Obama and Hillary or there would have been a massive MSM pity party.
Yawn.
It has a picture of him.
He appears to be black.
Who knew?
Me thinks he doth protesteth too much.
Either he's hoping to deflect the public's attention from his racist bigot preacher, or he's afraid of what people will find in his file. Or both.
Rice says “sorry.” Mah bad. It’s bound to happen. No big. Gee, what’s all the fuss?
This from the same government that insists on snooping on us. This from the same government that says it will successfully operate and administrate a health care system, complete with utter confidentiality and privacy.
Since Clintons installed so many moles in ALL Federal agencies, it would probably be impossible for any succeeding President to root them all out.
I firmly believe that Clinton and Babbitt have moles in every agency that can possible be connected with enviro issues. They will be trouble for years to come, as Clinton was fond of younger moles, who could serve a very long time if they didn’t get caught.
For a pair who purloined FBI files, I find it funny that her passport files got looked at.......
Pot: meet kettle...
Do these punks think that nobody's ever heard of the Freedom of Information Act? Who do they think pays their salaries??
hilary’s campaign is a joke. It’s just a mindless “stimulus/response” reaction. Is there anyone over there with a functioning brain?
Obama and McCain’s were accessed by the same person recently.
Clinton’s were accessed innocently by a trainee in a training class last year.
The Clinton campaign is obviously snooping here.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.