Posted on 07/20/2004 6:33:22 AM PDT by foolscap
Sandy Berger Not Front Page News in Some Major Newspapers
(CNSNews.com) - President Clinton's National Security Adviser Sandy Berger - who has been advising the Kerry campaign on foreign policy -- confirms he is the target of a criminal investigation for removing copies of classified terrorism documents from a secure reading room at the National Archives.
Some copies were never returned, press reports said. The documents reportedly discuss the Clinton administration's response to various terror threats.
Berger admits he walked out of the reading room with handwritten notes stuck in his pockets. Copies of classified documents were "inadvertently" removed in a leather portfolio. "I deeply regret the sloppiness involved," Berger said in a statement to the Associated Press on Monday.
The documents in question are said to be critical of the Clinton administration.
But Berger said he had no intention of withholding documents from the 9/11 commission. "To the contrary, to my knowledge, every document requested by the commission from the Clinton administration was produced," Berger said in the statement,
"In the course of reviewing over several days thousands of pages of documents on behalf of the Clinton administration in connection with requests by the Sept. 11 commission, I inadvertently took a few documents from the Archives," Berger said.
"When I was informed by the Archives that there were documents missing, I immediately returned everything I had except for a few documents that I apparently had accidentally discarded," he said.
Timing of leak 'suspicious'
David Gergen, a former adviser to President Clinton, told NBC's Today show on Tuesday that the situation is "more innocent than it looks."
He said Berger would never do anything to compromise national security.
In fact, Gergen called Berger "one of the heroes in the war against terrorism." He said Berger - as the millennium approached - led the effort to prevent a terror attack on the Los Angeles airport and other targets in the U.S. Gergen said Berger successfully thwarted the airport attack.
Gergen admits Berger violated Archive rules by leaving the building with notes on classified documents. But, he added, "It's not a serious violation."
Taking copies of classified documents is also forbidden. But, Gergen noted, the originals were never removed, and the 9/11 commission was never denied access to documents.
Gergen said the investigation of Berger started months ago, and he called it "suspicious" and "questionable" that the story was leaked in the same week that the 9/11 commission plans to release its report on the events and intelligence leading up to the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
Gergen said the publicity about Berger has the "overtones" of being a distraction from the 9/11 commission's findings. "Let's let more facts come out," he added.
As for Berger's role in advising Sen. Kerry, Gergen said the revelations may force Berger to distance himself from the soon-to-be Democratic nominee.
"I think a lot depends on how it bounces in the press, what his opponents do to it," Gergen said. "So far it's not been given - The Washington Post played it inside the newspaper, did not play it on their front page today."
But, Gergen added, "If this suddenly becomes a front page story - and there's a lot of whoop-dee-do about it - then there will be some pressure on him to distance himself [from the Kerry campaign]."
The Washington Post played the story at the top of page 2. The New York Times played the story at the bottom of Page 16. USA Today was among the newspapers playing it above the fold on the front page.
Anyone who has used the National Archives, and I have accessed both classified and unclassified material, knows that what Berger did was a crime. One does not move anything, I repeat ANYTHING, from the archives. Berger is a criminal, and should be charged. If it were me, I'd be toast.
When missing coverage becomes news then you know who is managing the news.
That's the money line. What did he "discard" and why would he "discard" anything having to do with the investigation?
I fully expect silence on the part of the "mainstream" media. Naturally, the "biased" Fox News will cover it, the partisan ba$tards! LOLOL!
Let's put the "fair and balanced" coverage of ABCNBCCBSCNN to the test.
Gergen, I'd be more interested as to why the STORY HAD BEEN SUPPRESSED for so long. As to a possible leak, cherche la pantsuit.
No question about it.
Page 20 Chicago Slum Times.
Obviously. I was simply reporting the spin, not citing its legitimacy.
David Gergen
Fax: 617-496-7301
email: david_gergen@ksg.harvard.edu
"It's all OK because there were backup copies.
"As NSC advisor, Berger knew that there were backup copies, so that's what made it OK for him to take them."
As a NSC advisor, Berger, also knew that if anyone with a clearance to see what he took, put them in our pants and got caught, we would have gone to jail for a long time. Copies carry the same security clearances/restrictions as the original documents.
Also, Berger was not the NSA chief, they probably wouldn't have let him on the parking lot that they don't have.
That's a pretty good call. Sandy Berger was a stooge. I never picked him to have that good a handle on covering Bubba's butt. That'a Hillary's forte.
Willie could have prevented 9-11 by killing Osama. But, through the late 90s, he was taking Iraqi oil voucher money (and, maybe some Saudi money) to back off on pulling the trigger on OBL. Willie could have zapped him several times but didn't.
The dems, over the past 2 months, have been in full lie mode, screaming that there couldn't be a connection between 9-11 and Iraq and that anyone who said there was was an idiot. That was the first major clue. They only lie like that to protect Willie. Any investigation of the connection would lead back to Willie.
But, destruction of the paper trail is Willie's specialty. His sewer dwellers are experts at it. That's what Berger was doing, destroying evidence that Willie could have easily stopped 9-11 and that he was taking Iraqi oil voucher cash (through the same Mark Risch that he later pardoned).
Now, Berger and the faithful from Willie's White House sewer (Begala, Davis, Paneta, etc.) will deny it and belittle any who suggest it. They'll ask why would Berger or any one do such a thing. The answer is easy (the same answer as why Suzie went to prison for no reason), fear of Willie's long and deadly arm and the fact the Berger made millions dealing with the Chinese commies and, maybe, got a piece of the Iraqi oil money.
"One theory of that explains the theft of documents and the liberal foaming at the mouth with the "Bush Lied" crap is that the Clinton Administration flat out compiled years of fake intel data that supported their polyanna perspective on the world. When 911 came along, the average joe could see there was a massive terrorist network in place designed to kill us, did this plan fall apart.
So making a silk purse out of a sow's ear, they turned their lies and intelligence failures into Bush's. BUT, they have to clean up their tracks just in case there are documents that actually say, "Washington, we have a problem w/ terrorism".
Sometimes with liberals, what they accuse us of doing is what they are actually already guilty of committing."
When liberals scream the loudest and point that finger of accusation it is because they are guilty of what they accuse.
Poor poor Hillry what a mess she has to deal with. LOL! The harder she tries to become electable the worse it gets for her.
The Clinton people are like Hare Krishna. Everything for the cause, no price too great to pay to help the Clintons, going to prison not a problem as long as the boss is protected. His major aides pull stupid stunts like this? Incredible. A frightening chapter in US history, for sure, the senior Bush's worst blunder was running such a horrible campaign that they ever achieved power in the first place.
You took the words right out of my mouth.
This is what caught my eye...you would have to be blind, stupid, and a democrat not to see through this.
Though nothing will ever happen....it never does.
Only people who are willing to be played by partisan liberal Democrats read the NYTimes. You sure won't get the news there.
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