AP – aide to Senator Hatch hacked into two Democratic Senator's computers

[pruner]

Senate Republican Staffer Put on Leave for Accessing Democratic Files

By Jim Abrams
Associated Press Writer
Published: Nov 25, 2003

WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch said Tuesday he had put one of his staffers on administrative leave for improperly obtaining data from the secure computer networks of two Democratic senators.

Hatch, R-Utah, said preliminary interviews suggested that a former Republican member of the committee staff may have also been involved in penetrating the Democratic computers.

"I was shocked to learn that this may have occurred," Hatch said in a statement. "I am mortified that this improper, unethical and simply unacceptable breach of confidential files may have occurred on my watch."

<snip>

Hatch said that, at his direction, two federal prosecutors assigned to the committee had conducted interviews with about 50 people.

He said the interviews revealed that at least one current staff member had improperly accessed at least some of the documents that appeared in the media reports and which have been posted on the Internet. The person has denied leaking the information to the press, he said.

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGA0LAUNGND.html

[acmavm]

1. Shocked, Hatch says, just SHOCKED. Right, I bet someone was about

to find out what happened and the douche bag 'fessed up (sort of).

[blm]

6. Hatch probably approved of it.

He'll pay off the guy and his family later.

[Junkdrawer]

10. That's the key. Watch the wealth of the aide after this blows over.

If there's an upturn of fortune....

[Bombtrack]

7. You bet? why not giving someone the benefit of the doubt

It's odd how many people here think Hatch is the anti-christ, despite every reputable first hand account of anybody in Washinton(including democrats) saying he is the nicest guy in the city.

[incapsulated]

12. I actually agree with this

I wouldn't be at all surprised if Hatch had nothing to do with this. He is an old school, the Senate is a Gentleman's Club kind of guy.

[West Coast Democrat]

15. That's Laughable

He was a sleazy lawyer before running for office, and he's an even sleazier politician now. My dad is involved in Utah politics, and he could tell you some stories about Mr. Hatch.

[mbali]

17. Really?

They obviously haven't watched him closely - he's as duplicitous as they come.

I wonder if he's going to take back his comments dismissing concerns about - and even blaming a Democratic staffer for - the theft of confidential documents.

"Hatch said of Democratic reaction , 'That's typical. Whenever they get their hands caught in the cookie jar, then they start to attack the process.'

"Hatch added, 'We have no evidence that anybody hacked into their computers, and I don't think they have any evidence of that. It very well could have been a staffer who was conscience-stricken and decided that this type of inappropriate conduct must end.'"

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Friday, November 21, 2003

[incapsulated]

22. Well, they work with him every day

Year in and year out. If they think he's the type of guy who would hack into their computers, why would they say such nice things about him?

:shrug:

Edit: I'm certainly no fan of Hatch, and I'm not saying I know whether he was involved. I don't know, and if it where a dem accused of the same, I would also suspend judgement. Sometimes even pricks are innocent, you know. ;)

[Cocoa]

19. he accused the dems of being racist

for opposing Brown, and anti-Catholic for opposing Pryor.

He knew neither was true, just said it to beat them. Then there's this.

All to help Bush politicize the federal courts. He should not be the chairman of the Judiciary committee that's for sure.

[mbali]

20. Not to mention

his blatant violation of Committee rules to force through Bush judges, his smears of anyone who disagrees with him or opposes a Bush nominee and his flip flops on holds on judicial nominees.

This guy ain't no Boy Scout.

[salin]

24. not to mention his "gentlemanly" treatment of Anita Hill

right... he's old school gentleman. He's a gentleman... if you aren't a democrat, female, and don't disagree with his political agenda.

When I worked in and around the Hill "they" said that about Jesse Helms. Forget his noxious behavior as senator "no". And the comments about his "gentlemanliness" seemed to end after his whistling Dixie (literally) when in a Senate elevator with fellow senator Mosley-Braun.

[incapsulated]

47. I never called him a "Gentleman"

I said that the Senate is a "Gentlemans Club", and a club it is, even when there is blood on the floor over politics.

These people not only work with each other every day, I hope you wouldn't be surprised to know some also socialize off hours with those on the other side of the isle. Administrations come and go, the Club and it's longtime members remain.

Now, killing a guy over politics is the norm. That's their job, that's what they're paid for. Commiting what is effectively breaking and entering your co-worker's office and stealing his private documents is quite another thing. Not something that is considered good member behaviour in the Club. And he would know this, and know the great risk it would be. That's not to say he didn't do it, just that it isn't the same as your usual political warfare.

[salin]

55. watch the different response to this, compared to when

the staffer for former Senator Metzembaum's who 'searched out' the Anita Hill story. That - pretty much killed his political career (the Senator) - HE was held accountable for an action that was much less a crossing of the 'gentlemens club' rules than this action. Why? The valence of the reaction from members of that same club on the right vs. the valence of the reaction from members of that club on the left.

[aquart]

32. Nice? Sweetie, NOTHING legislative he does is nice.

And I don't give a flying meadow muffin for the rest of it.

[shanti]

38. oh please

hatch has backed some of the shittiest legislation to come down the pipeline. he doesn't deserve resepect, and he ain't gettin none from me!

[AWD]

58. Sure, whatever....

...if Dean had anything to do with it, you'd be ALL over it.

But a Repuke gets a pass from old Bombtrack.

Hmmmmmm.............

[0007]

59. Are you serious or what?

No one, I mean no one has ever call Hatch the anti-christ except you.

But now that you mentioned it, there may be something to what your saying, 'eh?

edited; to remove the "fucking" before the word serious in the title.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

11. He was definately shocked.

Shocked that the trail lead right to him. Scumbag.

[maddezmom]

21. yep n/t

[Frodo]

2. Sweet!

SOME good news today.

[incapsulated]

3. whoa!

Oh, to be a fly on the wall behind closed doors over there! Somebody isn't going to be invited to afternoon tea anytime soon...

[jenk]

4. HATCH KNEW! I WANT HIM DISMISSED!!!!

[maddezmom]

5. OMG

the man of the church....:bounce: Good news!!

[peacetalksforall]

8. He's a pathetic soul...he must owe alot to his compatriots to keep

on doing their bidding with such inarticulateness.

I can't wait until he retires - it is difficult listening to him pander and lie.

I most remember the start of the impeachment process - he would be on camera all the time. At first, it seemed like he didn't want to parrot the party talking point assignments. Then, I decided he just wan't prepared. Boy did he mumble at first, he became better - a tiny more fluent. Maybe while he was exoriating Clinton, the rest of his mind was on Gingrich, Livingston, Burton, etc.

[kodi]

9. were hatch a true mormon he would resign in disgrace.

a real leader takes responsibility for the actions of his/her subordinates.

hatch won't do that, which is why the man is a detestable hypocrite.

[0007]

61. He'd take the path of the Mormon crickett and fly away, 'eh?

[Coldgothicwoman]

13. Ummm...

...this is a violation of Federal Law under the DMCA and the Patriot Act. I want this bastard drawn up on Federal Charges just like he was some teenager 'hacker'. Let them cook in the sauces of their own making for a change! :nopity:

[arewethereyet]

14. hey, I thought all the alpha geeks were Dems !

what up ???

[sandnsea]

16. They found the hacker, but not the leaker???

Hmmm, interesting.

[maddezmom]

18. they only know the initials so far...yeah right! nt

[mbali]

23. They know the initials?

[maddezmom]

28. sorry

being facetious...I was thinking KR.

[grasswire]

26. look at this

Hatch Warning: Sen. Rockefeller Risks 'Serious Criticism' for Memogate

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said Thursday that Sen. Zell Miller, D-Ga., was right to charge this week that a memo outlining plans by Senate Intelligence Committee Democrats to politicize Iraq war intelligence borders on "treason."

But the Utah Republican defended the committee's vice chairman, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.V., saying he shouldn't have to resign even if he's found to have authorized staffers to prepare the bombshell document.

Asked about Sen. Miller's comment on Wednesday that the memo was "treason's first cousin" and that "heads should roll" over the episode, Sen. Hatch told radio host Sean Hannity, "I happen to love Zell Miller and I do agree with that because bad intelligence results in the deaths of Democrats and Republicans - in other words, our people."

But Hatch refused to call for disciplinary action against ranking Democrat Rockefeller, recommending instead that Republicans "publicly ask the Democrats how they reconcile with

http://www.newsmax.com/popunders/anncoulterdoll.htm

[Snellius]

27. This is a different memo leak

There are so many it's hard to keep them straight. The other memo concerned the Judiciary Committee and judicial nominees.

Hatch launched an investigation after Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., protested what they said was the theft of memos from their servers. The memos, concerning political strategy on blocking confirmation of several of President Bush's judicial nominations, were obtained and reported on by The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Times.

http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/news/7349778.htm

There's actually TWO memo leak scandals in the air, not counting the Plame affair.

[maddezmom]

30. isn't this the one Dick Durbin

called for?

[Snellius]

33. Confusing, isn't it?

(1) Durbin-Kennedy: Judiciary Committee, leak concerning judicial nominees, this is the leak by Hatch's staffer

(2) Rockefeller-Roberts: Senate Intelligence Committee, leak concerning 9/11 investigation, used as excuse to halt inquiry, leaked to Hannity.

Rove's got his finger somewhere in these pies.

[grasswire]

34. duh

I know it's a different computer leak. I'm pointing out the hypocrisy of good ol' Orrin.

[Snellius]

37. I love it when Orrin gets outraged by another outrageous outrage

"I was shocked to learn that this may have occurred," Hatch said in a statement. "I am mortified that this improper, unethical and simply unacceptable breach of confidential files may have occurred on my watch."

[jenk]

25. Matt Drudge-Sean Hannity

[kiahzero]

29. All of Sen Hatch's computers should be destroyed

After all, that's what he advocated for piracy, and this is much much worse.

[lysergik]

45. Excellent idea.

Lets use a nice sledgehammer on them, or maybe some surplus RPG's.

[in_cog_ni_to]

31. He was shocked? Hahahahahaha!

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight! and I own a bridge I'd like to sell you. :eyes: This should be investigated and Hatch needs to pay for it!

[DrBB]

35. He said it wrong

"I was shocked to learn that this may have occurred...."

Bzzzzz!thank you for playing.

The proper phrasing as we all know would be:

"I was shocked, shocked to learn that this may have occurred...."

Let's try to get our Casablanca quotes right next time, m'kay Senator?

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

42. ha ha

good point! :evilgrin:

[grasswire]

36. here's what Lindsey Graham said yesterday

Lindsay Graham of South Carolina promised to be the Democrats' "worst nightmare when it comes to what these memos said. I will make sure the substance of the memos is pointed out over and over and over."

[Hailtothechimp]

48. Here's what ol' Linzey would say....

with his twangy down-home and mildly brain damaged accent, of course.

"Well, I've only been in the senate fer a few months but I think I can tell you about how things work around here......"

He wears his newness to the senate like it's a badge of honor. And really, it isn't.

[msmcghee]

39. The fact that many in the senate praise Hatch . .

. . only means he can do them great damage, and they want to be sure he knows that they won't cause him any personal problems.

I think he's one of the biggest scumbags - possibly only lower than Delay in terms of the better human qualities.

[mbali]

40. Some praise . . .

Daschle Floor Statement on Rule IV
February 28, 2003

Mr. Daschle: Mr. President, I wanted to come to the floor this afternoon to discuss a matter that occurred in the Judiciary Committee today that is deeply troubling. During a markup of three controversial circuit court nominees, the Chairman of the Committee refused to observe the longstanding rule and brought two circuit nominations to a vote despite the fact there was a desire by members of the minority to continue the debate. The situation is very specifically addressed by Committee Rule Number IV which reads as follows: "the Chairman shall entertain a non-debatable motion to bring a matter before the committee to a vote. If there is objection to bringing the matter to a vote without further debate, a roll call vote of the committee shall be taken and debate shall be terminated if the motion to bring the matter to a vote without further debate passes with ten votes in the affirmative, one of which must be cast by the minority."

At the time that the Chairman attempted to bring the nominations of John Roberts and Deborah Cook to a vote, objections were lodged by at least two members of the Committee. And in fact, I believe that this rule was read into the record in an effort to make clear to the Chairman that it was not appropriate under the Committee rules to bring these matters to a vote. Despite the fact that this action represents a clear violation of Committee rules, the Chairman ended the debate on these nominations and conducted a roll call vote. This reckless exercise of raw power by a Chairman without regard to the agreed upon standards of conduct that members of the Committee have agreed to is ominous. Senate committees either have rules or they don't. It cannot be the case that the rules of a committee will apply unless the Chairman deems them inconvenient or an obstacle to the goal he seeks at any given moment. This body has for over 200 years operated on the principle that civil debate and resolution ever competing philosophies require rules -- of competing philosophies require rules. If the actions taken today indicate the new standards the committee plans to uphold itself, i ask that we repeal and there is no respect for minority interests. How can we expect the judiciary committee to place individuals on the bench that respect the rule of law if the very process that the committees use to confirm those individuals violates the senate rules themselves. I hope that upon reflection the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee will reconvene the Committee and allow for the Committee to report out these nominations in a matter that is consistent with committee rules. If not, he must recognize that he is setting a terrible precedent. Regarding the operation of senate committees in the future regardless of which party may be in control.

Mr. President, I am very deeply troubled. This is a body of rules. This is a country of laws. I can't imagine that there is ever a time that any one of us -- any one of us ought to be in a position to say the rules in this case are not going to apply. The law in this case will not apply. And how ironic -- how ironic that in the Judiciary Committee, a committee which passes judgment on those who will interpret the rule of law, law, that very committee violated the rule today. So, Mr. President, we call attention to this extraordinary development with grave concern about its implications, about its precedent, about the message it sends, and I must say it will not be tolerated. I yield the floor and I note the absence of a quorum.

[UTUSN]

41. A Thread I Can Kick n/t

[DUreader]

43. No Conspiracy Here, Folks. It was a Lone Hacker, move along

[mbali]

46. At least two people were involved

by Hatch's own admission. Not only did a current staffer access Democratic senator's computers, but a former staffer was involved.

Hardly more than just a lone hacker. And we all know that if the shoe were on the other foot, Hatch and the Republicans would be screaming bloody murder and an independent prosecutor would already have been appointed.

[grasswire]

49. when did it happen?

When was this done? A former staffer? That means it happened a while ago, doesn't it? Or does it mean that a FORMER STAFFER accessed the senate's server????

[1songbird]

44. This is Watergate all over again

The Dems need to push extremely hard on this, it's huge.

[Rose Siding]

56. There is a cancer on the Congress

[9215]

50. Let me see

Are we suppose to now beleive that Hatch's underlings do such things upon their own volition?

Come on that asking an awful lot?

[Tatiana]

51. What I want to know is what else have these hackers read?

It couldn't have been just those documents on judicial nominees.

How long have they been spying?

Could this be the reason some Dems have caved in on Democratic motions to defeat disastrous Republican legislation? :tinfoilhat:

[oasis]

53. That's right, what else have those slimy bastards read?

[Hippo_Tron]

52. Hatch-Gate scandal might be a good title... n/t

[maddezmom]

54. kick

[LittleApple81]

57. Shocked, just shocked. That guy is only shocked about Democratic ideals.

n/t

[gratuitous]

60. Hatch is a courteous, old school gentleman politician

As long as you keep that at the front of your mind, and treat him with all the deference and respect he demands. As soon as your lips release from butt-lock, he's one of the meanest spirited hacks on the Hill. He was the ignoramus who dashed out in front of the cameras after September 11 to disclose that our intelligence services were monitoring Al Qaeda through its cell phone calls. As incredible as it may seem, as soon as Hatch's comments were aired, Al Qaeda quit using cell phones to communicate with each other.

Of course, no blame attached to the distinguished gentleman from Utah.

[burr]

62. Sounds like Watergate all over again...

staff resignations, but without impeachment hearings. Illegally taking files without a physical break-in.

[tom_paine]

63. EVERYTHING that occurred in Watergate is occurring now

AND MORE!

Of course Hatch knew and probably apporved it. If not, word came from the Imperials with the usual "deniable" terms attached.

Such as "Heavens forfend you should hack into the Democratic Senate Intelligence Committe Computers!"

Or "It would be a shame if someone hacked into the Democratic Senate Intelligence Committe Computers, wouldn't it?"

"What are you saying?"

"Nothing. I'm not saying anything. We're not even having this conversation."

"oh."

At any rate, we can be 100% certain, I mean 100%-Soviet-Saddam-Nazi-style certain of two things:

1) Nothing will come of this illegal hacking, not a thing. No charges, no nothing.

2) This aide will be, as many have already said, promoted once the camera eye is off. He might even get a few influxes of cash into his bank accounts.

100% certain. Saddam-level certain. Hitler-level-certain.

[salin]

64. meanwhile on the House shenanigans side... Tom DeLay tries

to thwart judicial review of his involvement in the redistricting shenanigans (and misuse of federal resources) in Texas.