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Friday, April 01, 2005

Clinton NSA Chief to Plead Guilty

Sandy Berger, the head of the NSA in the Clinton Administration, reportedly is set to plead guilty to "mishandling" (read: stealing) classified documents. What is it with Clinton Administration officials and classified material? (Also see former CIA Head John Deutch).
Mr. Berger was a senior policy adviser to Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, the Democratic presidential nominee, and was often mentioned as a possible secretary of state in a Kerry presidency. But he quit the campaign abruptly in July after accusations surfaced that he had inappropriately removed classified material from a secure reading room at the National Archives.

When the issue surfaced last year, Mr. Berger insisted that he had removed the classified material inadvertently. But in the plea agreement reached with prosecutors, he is expected to admit that he intentionally removed copies of five classified documents, destroyed three and misled staff members at the National Archives when confronted about it...

Good luck in your new career, Mr. Berger - it ain't going to be security...

*Update*
Michelle Malkin is confused.

The Times says "in the plea agreement reached with prosecutors, he is expected to admit that he intentionally removed copies of five classified documents..."

The
Post says Berger "will acknowledge intentionally removing and destroying copies of a classified document...," yet later the Post says that "no original documents were lost."

Why would Berger destroy documents if they were merely copies of originals retained by Archives? Because, "each of the 5 versions [taken by Berger] bore unique handwritten notes or markings made by its recipient. That means each copy became an 'original' document." This story has not received the notoriety it deserves...

Lorie Byrd agrees - "What an Outrage."