Two points to ponder in regard to this fascinating,
DAMNING and largely IGNORED story, which has been
developing for months...
1. It may explain some of the sheepishness of the Senate Democrats -- although I still do not discount the impact of anthrax scare and the CIPRO.
2. Can you imagine the "US mainstream news media"
coverage of this story IF it were Democratic aides
that had STOLEN files from and SPIED on the internal
communications of Republican Senators?
Reuters: Two Republican congressional staffers improperly accessed about 4,700 computer files of their Democratic colleagues, a source familiar with an investigation of the matter said on Thursday....Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the ranking Democrat on the committee, called it unprecedented "partisan spying."
Break the Bush Cabal's Stranglehold on the "US
Mainstream News Media," Show Up for Democracy in 2004:
Defeat Bush (again!)
Published on Thursday, March 4, 2004 by Reuters
About 4,700 Democratic Files Improperly Obtained
by Thomas Ferraro
WASHINGTON - Two Republican congressional staffers
improperly accessed about 4,700 computer files of
their Democratic colleagues, a source familiar with an
investigation of the matter said on Thursday.
Members of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee
privately received a written report on the probe of
their own panel's computer system, and put off until
at least next week what, if any action to take, said
the source, who asked not to be identified.
Options included -- if consensus can be reached on the
often sharply divided panel -- seeking criminal
prosecutions against the two Republican staffers who
have since resigned.
The computer files were improperly accessed between
2001 and 2003, the source said, and dealt largely with
President Bush's embattled judicial nominees.
Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican,
earlier on Thursday blamed the matter on "two
misguided former Senate staff members."
Hatch also said Democrats were not the only victims,
disclosing that the investigation found more than 100
of his documents were also improperly accessed.
Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the ranking Democrat on
the committee, called it unprecedented "partisan
spying."
Hatch and Leahy made the comments shortly before
copies of the probe were given to committee members to
privately review.
Leahy and Hatch planned to release copies of the
investigation by the U.S. Senate's Sergeant at Arms
Office at a news conference later.
Democrats contend the file breach constituted a theft.
Republicans agreed to the investigation but said they
wanted more information before reaching conclusions.
"Regardless whether any criminal law was broken, the
improper accessing was wrong and unjustified and will
go down as a sad chapter in the Senate and this
committee," Hatch said.
Congressional law enforcement in November began
looking into what Democrats called the computer theft
of 14 staff memos critical of Bush's judicial
nominees.
The memos, which described Democrats conferring with
liberal groups opposed to Bush's most conservative
nominees, were first quoted in The Wall Street
Journal, and then in other publications.
Hatch initially suggested the memos were turned over
to the news media by a "conscience-stricken"
Democratic staffer. But he later denounced the action
when he learned the files had been obtained by
Republican staffers.
"I'm very upset that this happened, and I've been
upset for quite a while," Hatch said. "I hope we can
work through this and not be vindictive."
"Let's not forget that the overwhelming majority of
our staff conducted themselves in an entirely proper
and honorable fashion while working with a less than
perfect computer system in a too often too contentious
environment," he added.
Hatch did not identify the two former Republican
staffers accused of obtaining files without
authorization.
Manuel Miranda, who formerly worked for Hatch,
resigned last month as an aide to Senate Majority
Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican, after his
name surfaced in the probe.
In his resignation statement, Miranda said he had not
seen anything ethically or legally wrong with reading
some Democratic documents, and that a young aide had
downloaded "perhaps thousands" of documents but not
read them all.
Miranda said it was not his fault Republicans could
get the memos through the computer system.ed for June
30, the spokesman said.
© Copyright 2004 Reuters Ltd
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