Tom DeLay said Sandy Berger’s incident at the National Archives could be a “national security crisis” and compared the matter to Nixon’s Watergate break-in. Dennis Hastert claimed Berger was trying to intentionally deceive the 9/11 Commission. CNN’s conservative pundit Tucker Carlson claimed that Berger hid information from the Commission by “strip[ping] the files of every single copy of a single memo which detailed the Clinton administration’s response to the Y2K terror threat.”
With this in mind, I’m sure all of these conservatives will be anxious to apologize to Berger who was cleared yesterday from these ridiculous accusations.
Officials looking into the removal of classified documents from the National Archives by former Clinton National Security Adviser Samuel Berger say no original materials are missing and nothing Mr. Berger reviewed was withheld from the commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
Several prominent Republicans, including House Speaker Dennis Hastert and House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, have voiced suspicion that when Mr. Berger was preparing materials for the 9/11 Commission on the Clinton administration’s antiterror actions, he may have removed documents that were potentially damaging to the former president’s record.
The conclusion by archives officials and others would seem to lay to rest the issue of whether any information was permanently destroyed or withheld from the commission.
So, the coordinated right-wing attacks were wrong again? Wow, that never happens.
Archives spokeswoman Susan Cooper said officials there “are confident that there aren’t any original documents missing in relation to this case.” She said in most cases, Mr. Berger was given photocopies to review, and that in any event officials have accounted for all originals to which he had access.
And in addition to the GOP apologies I’m anxious to hear but know won’t be offered, I’d also like to see just how many media outlets that played up the “Missing Documents!!” pseudo-scandal spend equal time setting the record straight. I’m not holding my breath.