Archives Staff Was Suspicious of Berger

Washington Post ^ | July 22, 2004 | John F. Harris and Susan Schmidt

[Remember_Salamis]

Last Oct. 2, former Clinton national security adviser Samuel R. "Sandy" Berger stayed huddled over papers at the National Archives until 8 p.m.

What he did not know as he labored through that long Thursday was that the same Archives employees who were solicitously retrieving documents for him were also watching their important visitor with a suspicious eye.

After Berger's previous visit, in September, Archives officials believed documents were missing. This time, they specially coded the papers to more easily tell whether some went missing, said government officials and legal sources familiar with the case.

The notion of one of Washington's most respected foreign policy figures being subjected to treatment that had at least a faint odor of a sting operation is a strange one. But the peculiarities -- and conflicting versions of events and possible motives -- were just then beginning in a case that this week bucked Berger out of an esteemed position as a leader of the Democratic government-in-waiting that had assembled around presidential nominee John F. Kerry.

As his attorneys tell it, Berger had no idea in October that documents were missing from the Archives, or that archivists suspected him in the disappearance. It was not until two days later, on Saturday, Oct. 4, that he was contacted by Archives employees who said that they were concerned about missing files, from his September and October visits. This call -- in Berger's version of the chronology, which is disputed in essential respects by a government official with knowledge of the investigation -- was made with a tone of concern, but not accusation.

[what's up]

Heeheehee...Susan Schmidt hot on the trail. Wasn't she the Washington Post reporter who covered all the unravelling details from the Clinton-Monica scandals.

She's pretty good.

[lunatic12]

Key points

The drafts of the millenium report would have had different info then is in the final report, which still exists.

Berger apparantly purged the archives of all copies of those earlier drafts. There must have been something incriminating in those earlier drafts.

The idea that on two separate visits all the copies of the drafts are taken and later all the copies can't be found is completely ludicrous.

Bigger than Watergate, imo.

[Sir Gawain]

"This is a terrible experience for him, and he's embarrassed by his mistakes," Lockhart said, "but I think he also feels a sense of injustice that after building a reputation as a tireless defender of his country that many Republicans would try to assassinate his character to pursue their own ends."

What a bunch of evil traitors. How did we even survive the Clinton years?

[Peach]

We have officially exceeded Watergate proportions with this story.

[NonValueAdded]

"These allegations are deeply troubling, and it's our constitutional responsibility to find out what happened and why," [House Government Reform Committee Chairman Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.) ] said in a statement.

How ironic that the 9-11 Commission report includes a chastisement of Congress for not properly performing their oversight duties. Now Davis can't back off an investigation without going against the report!

[The South Texan]

How in the world are the Rats going to spin this one?

They will have to destroy the careers of government civil servants, which is supposed to be a constituency of the Rats.

There is no way the likes of Couric and Rather can spin this story. It comes from their side.

[Remember_Salamis]

"Berger has known for months that he was in potential jeopardy. Breuer was hired in October, and in January former White House press secretary Joe Lockhart was enlisted to remain on standby if a public controversy blossomed. But Berger allies said he did not inform Kerry because he had resolved to work privately with Justice Department officials, and received assurances that these officials would treat the matter confidentially."

[VaBthang4]

This guy needs to burn...bad. I will be extremely disappointed in the President if his Justice Department does not do their job on this one.

[conservative in nyc]

They knew he was interested in all the versions of the millennium review, some of which bore handwritten notes from Clinton-era officials who had reviewed them.

What did the handwritten comments say and who said it? I think that's the pertinent question here.

I have to hand it to the Washington Compost. At least they're not printing the "it's all Bush's fault for leaking the investigation" DNC spin.

[Howlin]

FYI.

[dano1]

"They devised a coding system and marked the documents they knew Berger was interested in canvassing, and watched him carefully. They knew he was interested in all the versions of the millennium review, some of which bore handwritten notes from Clinton-era officials who had reviewed them."

BINGO!

[conservative in nyc]

The Rat spin is simple --- change the subject. Instead of why did Sandy Burglar put classified materials down his pants, they change the subject and ask why was the investigation leaked now? Bush knew! Therefore, it's all Bush's fault.

Cynical spinning. Their allies at the New York Slimes are aiding and abetting it.

[passionfruit]

He was seen stuffing classified documents into his clothes, and the best the dems can come up with is "the timing is suspicious"!

[Bronco_Buster_FweetHyagh]

By January, the FBI had been brought in, and Berger found himself in a criminal investigation -- one that he chose not to tell Kerry's campaign about until this week.

This stinks to high heaven. Either he is lieing in order to protect Kerry, or he didn't tell Kerry in order to damage him?

A government official with knowledge of the investigation said Archives employees took action promptly after noticing a missing document in September. This official said an Archives employee called former White House deputy counsel Bruce Lindsey, who is former president Bill Clinton's liaison to the National Archives. The Archives employee said documents were missing and would have to be returned.

What in the holy hell? Why would they be calling Clinton insiders, instead of calling the FBI?

[Howlin]

40 or 50 pages????????

[rotstan]

If i'm not mistaken, Schmidt is also the reporter who first exposed Joe Wilson's lies a few weeks ago. Busy lady!

[GeronL]

Is this really PAGE ONE???

[dano1]

What did the handwritten comments say and who said it? I think that's the pertinent question here.

We may never know unless perhaps some decades hence Berger writes his memoirs from prison.

[plymaniac]

What a bunch of evil traitors. How did we even survive the Clinton years?

We haven't yet.