How Sandy Berger Stole State Secrets, Destroyed Evidence & Got Off

Townhall ^ | 09 Jan 07 | Joel Mowbray

[rellimpank]

With the release of an internal investigation last week, we now know that former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger not only knowingly flouted laws for handling classified documents, but he also went to incredible lengths to cover his tracks and thwart investigators.

While Berger's "punishment" was a pittance of a fine, former Pentagon analyst Larry Franklin has been financially ruined and sentenced to 12 and a half years for passing along far less-classified information to unauthorized third parties.

Unfortunately, disproportionate justice is inherent to the legal system. The written playbook might be the same for various cases, but different judges and different dynamics can lead to dramatically disparate results.

[rellimpank]

--maybe it's his connection with the "other brother" --or maybe the 900 FBI files the Clintons still possess??

[beethovenfan]

Sandy Berger should be in the slammer with a big black boy
friend.

[art_rocks]

Wasn't the judge part of the reason for the stiffer fine. The plea bargain was for less punishment and the judge raised it 50K instead of 10K.

[tkathy]

If Cheney or Rumsfeld had done this, the democrats would go insane and have them in prison.

[TheCrusader]

"How Sandy Berger Stole State Secrets, Destroyed Evidence & Got Off"

Wasn't it the Bush Justice Department that let Sandy Berger off the hook with a slap on the wrist? I'm fairly certain that the Bush Justice Department agreed to a very, very light 'sentence' for Berger. In fact if I remember correctly, the Bush Justice Department asked for a lighter punishment for Berger than the Clinton-appointed judge handed out to him.

[Vaduz]

Come on boys were all in the same club wink wink nod nod know what I mean.

[SirJohnBarleycorn]

Any executive in a corporate fraud case who lies to investigators and destroys evidence would be looking forward to jail time.

[rellimpank]

--yes--it's the reason for my original comment--

--maybe it's his connection with the "other brother" --or maybe the 900 FBI files the Clintons still possess?? --

[battlecry]

I can't help but read into that that the administration felt it was in their best interest to have that information purged from the National Archives.

I wonder why.

[taxed2death]

Sandy burglar.

[Kay]

Appears like another racist comment--"big black boy friend" --and like the previous -- Arab "bed sheets"-- comment. This is not appropriate on this good forum.

If you tell others to read the Bible, maybe you skipped the part about loving your enemies, praying for those who persecute you, and that Saul was violently anti-Christ before he became the apostle Paul.

[JRochelle]

Got off?


Too much information!

[Al Gator]

How Sandy Got Off?

P*ssy Republicans.

That's the yellow jello of it.

[beethovenfan]

Lighten up.

[Jeff Chandler]

Pusillanimous Republicans

[Al Gator]

:-)

You are more polite and a lot less vulgar than I.


But no less effective!

[BibChr]

Oh my gosh. My exact thought.

[ECM]

Since the vast majority of prison rape is black/hispanic on white, I think his comment is fair/accurate.

[Sybeck1]

I keep hoping someone will bring ole Sandy up to Hillary somewhere in townhall setting up in NH or IA.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I'd bet the $50 K came from the Clintons (from the Lippo Bank stash, no doubt.)

[Condor51]

***-or maybe the 900 FBI files the Clintons still possess??***

You lost me with that reference???
But if you want to look at whose files Hitlery used to have, look here.

I believe you'll find that 98.265% are known only to their mothers; i.e., they're nobodies. (IMO this 'FBI file' urban legend needs to end)

[RobRoy]

I firmly believe Berger should be executed for treason.

[Diamond]

...the democrats would go insane

would go?

Cordially,

[rellimpank]

--well, okay--then I guess that leaves the "other brother" connection as the explanation---

[OldFriend]

We don't have to love our enemies, nor do we have to resort to ugly racial slurs.

We're condemning behaviour, not a race or religion.

[CharlesWayneCT]

I think Sandy Berger should have gotten a more serious punishment, but destroying classified documents is fundamentally NOT AS BAD as giving them to our enemies.

[ChiefJayStrongbow]

... we're putting that behind us now ..

[Bitsy]

But Cheney or Rumsfeld wouldn't have done the deed in the first place. That's what makes my head explode!!!

[labette]

For what it's worth, Gordon Liddy got a TWENTY YEAR sentence.

[Don Corleone]

He got a lighter sentence than Martha Stewart.

[OESY]

Nothing impairs public respect for the Law
as the uneven administration of Justice.

[kitkat]

BUMP

[secretagent]

I have yet to find out what Berger stole. What area or subject the documents covered.

[DBrow]

"... fundamentally NOT AS BAD as giving them to our enemies."


If destroying the documents gives cover to our enemies, foreign or domestic, it's just as bad.

This is an example, not a speculation- imagine that by destroying critical documents, the role of citizens involved in aiding and abetting the enemy was concealed?

Suppose that documents incriminating to Alger Hiss (the convicted communist spy and co-founder of the United Nations)had been smuggled out behind a dumpster?

[jesseam]

Beside that, he is a democrat too. You know, the double standard.

[bvw]

Yes.

[Bubba_Leroy]

Why the Sand Bergler is not sitting in a cell in Gitmo I'll never understand.

Does anyone know for sure whether or not he was successful in his attempt to destroy all copies of whatever drafts or notes he was trying to prevent ever coming out?