So my take on the Berger deal

[noahmijo]

From what I've read and heard it seems like what happened was Berger took documents ) wrote some notes, and made copies of the documents.

Then what happened was he accidently put the COPIES not the originals into a leather portfolio and it was the handwritten notes that he put into his pants and jacket.

Get it? it's HIS OWN NOTES that he stuffed in his pants and jacket.

Quote:

Berger and his lawyer said Monday night he knowingly removed the handwritten notes by placing them in his jacket and pants, and also inadvertently took copies of actual classified documents in a leather portfolio.

Archives employees told agents they believed they witnessed Berger place documents in his clothing while reviewing sensitive Clinton administration papers and that some documents were then noticed missing, officials said.


http://www.eveningsun.com/Stories/0,1413,140~9954~2283729,00.html

So essentially the guy screwed up by taking the originals accidently instead of his copies (which who knows where they wound up)

In all it sounds to me that the guy did an irresponsible thing, but it's one of those stupid things that really could've happened to anybody who is in a hurry, but of course the repukes are spinning this so far as to say that he hid the docs in his socks, they infer that his mistake could've created serious security problems, nothing of all the terrorist attempts which were thwarted on this guy is brought up.

http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/25473.htm

Oh yea we've known about this for months but NOW they chose to release this? hmm wonder why? (DNC convention, 9/11 commission about to release report)

No no coincidence whatsoever, so now * and his cronies are back to their stiff positions with that look "let's get im boys" we're gonna tear through town and get down to the bottom here folks yep that's what we do we fight terra and idiots who screw things up in the middle of our war on terra.

Yea did they sic the FBI on whoever leaked the personal info of that dissenting CIA agent? Did this administration ever go into high gear when reports came through that Al-queda was poised to strike?

Personally I'd feel safer with a pair of Berger's socks as my protection than with the entire shrub administration.

[nankerphelge]

1. Red herring

This is totally an attempt to muddy the water and take any heat off of the adminstration when the report is released.

[Maat]

3. It totally is.

Also, I worked in Aerospace for about 10-12 years or so. I feel rather positive that management in accounting/cost analysis took classified documents home all the time when they wanted to work with them. I tend to believe that this goes on all the time. Injudicious, but true.

Just because people use docs does not mean that they are using them for some nefarious purpose.

[Tellurian]

6. My take? To fling mud at two of Kerry's future Foreign Policy advisers

Wilson and Berger...

[Norquist Nemesis]

2. My take

Ashcroft leaked it. The rest is all rhetoric and rumor.

[donhakman]

7. The delayed leak is not identified yet.

Leaks seem hard to nail down. Maybe if Novak was tortured we would know more about the Plame leak.

As for absent mindedness, Yo Yo Ma left his $2 million cello in a NYC cab.

[Norquist Nemesis]

9. Just speculation and gut instinct

on who did it, I know. This has Ashcroft's MO IMO. Just like the dirty tricks he did with the Jamie Gorelick memo during the 9/11 proceedings. He certainly would have known about the investigation, and he's able to give a hit toward discrediting the report while giving a gift to the WH campaign race for the timing. Again, JMO.

I think they're making a real big deal out of it, twisting and embellishing it to the point of lies. Unfortunately, the media frenzy is providing the Drudge effect.

[whistle]

4. This is the BushCO effort at more character assassination....

...of democrats, so I support Kerry's response:

Kerry Camp Accuses White House of Berger Leak

Wed Jul 21, 4:04 PM ET Add Politics to My Yahoo!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites)'s presidential campaign accused the Bush White House on Wednesday of disclosing the existence of a criminal investigation against former national security adviser Sandy Berger for political advantage.

The objective of such a leak, the Kerry campaign said in a political memo distributed by email, was to take attention away from a report to be issued on Thursday by the commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The criminal investigation of Berger began last October but only came to light this week.

"The timing of this leak suggests that the White House is more concerned about protecting its political hide than hearing what the commission has to say about strengthening our security," the Kerry campaign said.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the White House had nothing to do with the disclosure that Berger, who was national security adviser under former President Bill Clinton (news - web sites), was under investigation for removing copies of highly classified documents from the National Archives.

"I'm not aware of how this story came about. I know of no one in the White House that is aware of how this story came about," McClellan said.

He said officials in the White House legal counsel's office were made aware of the Berger investigation some time ago because they were in charge of putting together documents for the Sept. 11 commission to see.

Complaining of the "questionable timing" of the leak, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee (news - web sites), Terry McAuliffe, filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking the release of any correspondence between the Justice Department (news - web sites) and the White House on the Berger probe.

Berger and one of his lawyers said on Monday he had inadvertently removed copies of a classified memo, as well as his notes on the material, as he reviewed it to determine what Clinton administration-era documents could be turned over to the Sept. 11 commission.

Republicans have accused Berger of stealing the documents for use by Kerry's campaign. Berger was an informal foreign policy adviser for Kerry until he stepped down on Tuesday in the heat of the flap over the documents.

The Sept. 11 report is expected to detail as many as 10 missed opportunities to head off the Sept. 11 attacks but stop short of saying the attacks could have been prevented.

[Must_B_Free]

5. i think so too

I think he took notes on what he read and put them in his pocket and I think he inavertantly took COPIES of the classified documents (i suspect he was given copies to review).

Furthermore, these are documents he wrote several years earlier in regard to his position.

[donhakman]

8. from "over the top"

[Peachhead22]

10. I have nothing to back this up,

It's just a hunch. I don't believe Berger stuffed anything into his pants or socks or whatever.

I think he put the papers in his briefcase or folder or something similar. That's still a major no-no. But this sneaking stuff out in his socks or shorts sounds like a typical Republican smear/exagerration that makes into RNC talking points, then a retraction gets whispered in the press once it's found to be BS.

The story just seemed to get more outlandish (and improbable) as the day went on. That says to me that Republicans are just throwing stuff against the wall and seeing what sticks.

I think Berger was just trying to memorize tons of minutiae for the 9/11 commission and took stuff home to study. Still an unexcusable flub-up, but I can't see Berger stuffing copies of stuff into his shoes or pants. That just seems uncharactristically amateurish.

P.S.-Why copies? What would that accomplish other than letting him study them at home (which I said before would make a little sense). I can't buy that the Kerry campaign wanted them. If so, Kerry's a senator he could have seen them for himself. Besides, Kerry "needs a outdated, classified after action report to formulate a port security policy"? As some 'Pubs are claiming. That makes absolutely no sense.

[ant]

11. I think you got it wrong

So essentially the guy screwed up by taking the originals accidently instead of his copies (which who knows where they wound up)


But from your quote:
Berger and his lawyer said Monday night he knowingly removed the handwritten notes by placing them in his jacket and pants, and also inadvertently took copies of actual classified documents in a leather portfolio.

So he took copies, not originals. I assume this means originals were left behind, but I'm not sure.

Copies or originals, though, he wouldn't have been allowed to take them, so the distinction isn't really relevant as far as whether or not he did something illegal. If the documents were classified he wouldn't have been allowed to take copies or originals.

The distinction is relevant, though, when you consider these absurd accusations that he was trying to cover up for the Clinton admin. If you want to destroy evidence of something you don't leave the originals behind. Seems kind of obvious, and Republicans of all people should know about destroying evidence. (*cough*NationalGuardRecords*cough*)

My take: he took his notes, which he probably knew he shouldn't do but whatever, that's not uncommon. From what I've heard this is one of those "office rules" that people seem to bend rather frequently. The actual documents got mixed up with his regular papers and he accidentally took off with them. A careless mistake, no doubt, but not exactly a gross violation of national security. It's not like he revealed the identity of an undercover operative or something...

[noahmijo]

12. Well supposedly originals could not be found but maybe

it's the copies that couldn't be found, I dunno overall to me it's just a load of bullshit, made by an irresponsible yet honest error which is being blown to mega proportions in order to take everyone's eyes off of * and his DELIBERATE fucks ups.