Sandy Berger ONLY admitted to cutting up 3 copies of
Terrorist Reports prior to appearing before the 911 Commission. http://www.corruptionchronicles.com/2006/12/sandy_berger_hid_stolen_terror.html
Clinton Administration National Security Adviser Sandy Berger spent a total of 30 hours on
July 18, September 2 and October 2 of last year reviewing classified material in
preparation for his testimony before the Sept. 11 panel. Berger removed
classified materials and later, upon notification from government officials, returned most
of the documents. He was caught stuffing classified documents in his socks and underwear.
He also repeatedly persuaded monitors assigned to watch him review top-secret
documents to break the rules and leave him alone in the high-security room by telling them
he had to make sensitive phone calls. He
may have also done a "Royal Flush for The Clintons. Guards monitoring the room said
they became suspicious when Berger took "lots of bathroom breaks"
Berger admitted he took the stolen documents about the fight against al Qaeda
to his office and cut up three copies prior to appearing before the 911
Commission.
Berger pleaded guilty to stealing classified documents
from the National Archives, saying he showed "very poor judgment" and that his
actions were "wrong." Berger says the whole thing was "an honest
mistake."
Berger, former President Bill Clinton's top national security aide, appeared stone-faced
during the court hearing as his lawyers and federal prosecutors presented a plea deal
before federal Magistrate Deborah Robinson surrounding his removal of documents about the
fight against al Qaeda. Berger was preparing for upcoming testimony before the 9/11
commission.
The deal reached between his lawyers and the Justice Department called for Berger to plead
guilty to one count of unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents and to
pay a $10,000 fine and lose his security clearance for three years.
Berger rose and said, "Guilty, your honor," when the Judge asked how he pleaded.
Afterward, Berger issued a statement to reporters about the bizarre scandal that cost him
an advisory role on the Kerry campaign last summer.
"I exercised very poor judgment in the course of reviewing files for the 9/11
commission," he said.
Berger also admitted he took the documents to his office and cut up three copies with
scissors despite knowing, as a former government official who once had access to the
nation's most closely guarded secrets, that they were classified.
One source close to the investigation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, explained
that the probe surrounded a memorandum related to the millennium terrorism plot, written
by former Clinton and anti-terrorism adviser Richard Clarke. |
