[roses of sharon]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23736254/

The incidents raise questions as to whether the information was accessed for political purposes and why two contractors involved in the Obama search were dismissed before investigators had a chance to interview them.

[roses of sharon]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/20/obama.passport/index.html

Department was not aware of the incidents until Thursday afternoon. Breaches occurred January 9, February 21 and March 14.

A State Department source said passport files contain scanned images of passport applications, birth date and basic biographical information, records of passport renewal, and possibly citizenship information.