WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 — Senate Democrats who were briefed Monday about an investigation into how Democratic strategy memorandums dealing with judicial nominations ended up in the hands of Republican staff members said they now believed the problem was far more extensive than previously thought.
Some of the internal memorandums appear to have been used to prepare one or more of President Bush's appeals court nominees to answer specific questions from Democratic senators during their Judiciary Committee hearings, Democrats said Monday.
The Senate's sergeant-at-arms, William Pickle, has been investigating how Republican staff aides were able to view and distribute to conservative news outlets several internal Democratic computer entries dealing with judicial nomination strategy. Mr. Pickle discussed his inquiry with four Democrats on the Judiciary Committee, some of whose memorandums were disclosed last year on The Wall Street Journal editorial page and in The Washington Times and a column by Robert Novak.
Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, said he learned from Mr. Pickle's briefing that the improper reading, copying and distributing of confidential Democratic memorandums had gone on far longer and had involved a greater amount of information than had previously been believed. "The extent and duration of the improper access was both remarkably longer and more widespread than I had ever imagined," Mr. Durbin said.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/10/politics/10JUDG.html?ex=1077080400&en=c5faf76b00ed61b4&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE
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