[President] Obama Appointee in Classified Info Scandal (John Deutch)

Newsmax ^ | February 19, 2009 | Ronald Kessler

[2ndDivisionVet]

The appointment of John Deutch to an advisory panel on spy satellites violates President Obama’s pledge to hold everyone in his administration to the highest ethical standards.

Deutch, who headed the CIA from May 1995 to December 1996, agreed in writing in January 2001 to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents. Just after that, President Clinton pardoned him and 175 others as Clinton was leaving office. Deutch’s infraction was thus more serious than Tim Geithner’s or Tom Daschle’s failure to pay income taxes.

“Deutch essentially walked away from what is one of the most egregious cases of mishandling of classified information that I have ever seen, short of espionage,” Sen. Richard C. Shelby, R-Ala., chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said after the pardon was announced.

Deutch placed 17,000 CIA files, including files classified TOP SECRET/CODEWORD and those referring to highly sensitive covert operations, on his unclassified home computers. One such file was a memo to Clinton and then-Vice President Al Gore. It noted that the information was so sensitive that Deutch was sending it to only a few other people, including FBI Director Louis Freeh and Secretary of State Warren Christopher.

Because the computers connected to the Internet, and because Deutch often gave out his e-mail address, foreign intelligence services could easily have downloaded classified material from his computer.

CIA technicians discovered the security breach in December 1996 when they visited Deutch’s house and asked to see his agency computers as he was preparing to leave office. The CIA had agreed to give him a no-fee consulting contract for one year allowing him to keep the three Macintosh computers.

[Brad from Tennessee]

Change You Can Believe In? Like Leon Panetta, Deutch is another retreaded Clinton era hack. As far as the Top Secret files on his home computer—what better way to commit espionage? You sell the classified data to a foreign power then have their agents hack into your home PC. If you get caught, as Deutch was, you pretend stupid. The Chicoms are probably happy to see this guy back in government.

[highlander_UW]

It's stunning that the best the democrats can field is a never ending stream of incompetents and criminals. The dems sure do have that culture of corruption thing down pat.

[stainlessbanner]

Barry is taking down these United States of America with each appointment, each decision, and each association he is involved with.

[Piquaboy]

I hate the word President when it is put in front of the name Obama. Just call him, oh never mind!

[mojitojoe]

I have NEVER called him President in any way shape or form. He is Barry or zer0 or other names I can’t say on here.

[cookcounty]

What is wrong with Dem administrations? They do not care about security of classified material?

Lee Hamilton, the Indiana half-wit, is STILL on Sandy Berger’s Board of Reference!