Senate Inquiry Into Memos That Went Astray Nears End

[kskiska]

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 — The Senate's sergeant-at-arms said on Thursday that he was nearing an end to an investigation into how several confidential memorandums written by Democratic staff aides about dealing with judicial nominations ended up in the hands of Republican staff members.

The investigation by the office of the sergeant-at-arms, William Pickle, was undertaken last November after parts of the memorandums appeared in news accounts in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times and a column by Robert Novak.

Some of the memorandums from the offices of Senators Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, both Democrats, discussed strategy and tactics on dealing with President Bush's judicial nominees.

(snip)

Manuel C. Miranda, a former Republican Judiciary Committee staff member, whose name appeared as a recipient of one of the Democratic e-mail messages and who has been questioned by Mr. Pickle's investigators, said in an interview Thursday that he knew how the documents were obtained by Republicans. He said that a junior member on the staff of Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah and chairman of the Judiciary Committee, had discovered a flaw in the computer system that allowed him to read some of the Democratic computer traffic.

(snip)

Senator Hatch has said at various times that he did not think the issue of the memorandums was a serious matter and at other times that he thought it was a great ethical violation. He declined to comment on Thursday, saying through a spokesman that the matter was under investigation by Mr. Pickle's office.

more…
http://nytimes.com/2004/01/23/politics/23JUDG.html

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Nothing is serious to them

if it involves wrongdoing by Rethugs. On open boards, when the liberals have made their points, the freepers get on and yell "Clinton! Clinton! Clinton!" You see, in their mind, Clinton's marital indescretion is far worse than loss of freedom, imperiling the entire world, and eroding democracy.

[Cooley Hurd]

2. Whoops! Someone set their win pc's file & print sharing to "on"...

...and some repug whizkid "stumbled" into the file folder with the memos. Riiiiight...

[Frances]

3. Of course, this isn't important

what needs to dominate the news is Dean and his Iowa speech. (Sarcasm)

[Fovea]

4. Heads need to roll over this.

Not just whiz kid heads, but everyone who willing saw or used the material should be in court ASAP.

And I think our party better file a freakin civil suit, like yesterday, or I will ask the DNC for my donation back.

[wroberts189]

5. I cannot believe this...

Ok that does it. I need to check in to a mental hospital because I am having feelings of total unreality:

snip..
"Another senior Democratic aide on the Judiciary Committee said that while what occurred was objectionable, there was no need for any criminal investigation."

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WHAT THE ?????