News Conference Leaked Staff Memos C-SPAN 8:00pmet

[seemslikeadream]

Congressional News Conference
Leahy, Patrick J., U.S. Senator, D-VT
Hatch, Orrin, U.S. Senator, R-UT

Leahy - Obiviouly, new revealing, conspired to spy, systematic I know how difficult it must be for Senator Hatch. It is not difficult to conclude this was criminal, refer to justice, this was stealing.


Hatch - release to the public report today deleats the names of staff
I am mortified that this happened. I commend the Sargent of Arms. This has been very difficult for me. We have taken steps

[TacticalPeek]

1. Watching that Pentagon spokesman, Di Rita guy tap-dancing like a fool

make me want to take a dip of snuff. (About the rejected plans to attack terrorists in northern Iraq.) What a sleazy creep.

Here's Hatch. More BS I'm sure, but at least he's a pro.

[Stephanie]

2. Where's that article about possible WH involvement

TacticalPeak had a thread yesterday. WH undoubtedly played a role in this.

[TacticalPeek]

3. Here.

Thread

Hatch: The computer did it.

Familiar to techies everywhere.

edit: oops, too hasty

Here's Leahy stmt.

[Stephanie]

5. Thanks,

but fix the link please. You have to take out the http://

[Stephanie]

4. What are they saying?

No TV here. Are they on?

[kainah]

7. c-span.org has streaming live video n/t

[TacticalPeek]

8. stmt from Leahy

?There is much in this report that is new, incriminating and revealing about the stealing of these computer files. The evidence unequivocally confirms that some Republican staff conspired to spy on and steal from their Democratic colleagues. This report indisputably shows that this secret surveillance was calculated, systematic and sweeping in its scope.

?We thank Sergeant At Arms Bill Pickle and his staff for their diligence and their professionalism. I also thank Chairman Hatch for his cooperation.

?It is not difficult to conclude that this was criminal behavior. This Senate investigation has established the basic facts. It is the first step to achieving accountability for this wrongdoing. But more remains to be done to answer questions about how these stolen files were used, and by whom. Referring this report to the Department of Justice for criminal investigation is one of the next steps we must consider.

?There can no longer be any doubt now, if there ever was, that these files were stolen. In the information age, document theft may take the form of a series of surreptitious strikes on a keyboard rather than the picking of a filing cabinet lock, but it is still theft, and it is still wrong. All senators understand the work of their staffs to be confidential. The trust in this confidentiality goes to the very heart of the work of the committees of the Senate and of the Senate itself. Much like the letters that sit in the mailboxes on our porches, these files were not kept under a physical lock and key, but nor were they there for anyone to open. Taking things that do not belong to you is wrong, and there is no excusing or whitewashing it.

[displacedtexan]

11. In Q&A, Hatch won't say that the files were "stolen."

They'll meet next week yadayadayada.

[kainah]

6. thanks so much for the alert! n/t

[seemslikeadream]

9. Statement Of Sen. Patrick Leahy,

Ranking Democratic Member,
Senate Judiciary Committee
On The Pickle Report
On Stolen Judiciary Committee Computer Files
March 4, 2004

“There is much in this report that is new, incriminating and revealing about the stealing of these computer files. The evidence unequivocally confirms that some Republican staff conspired to spy on and steal from their Democratic colleagues. This report indisputably shows that this secret surveillance was calculated, systematic and sweeping in its scope.

“We thank Sergeant At Arms Bill Pickle and his staff for their diligence and their professionalism. I also thank Chairman Hatch for his cooperation.

“It is not difficult to conclude that this was criminal behavior. This Senate investigation has established the basic facts. It is the first step to achieving accountability for this wrongdoing. But more remains to be done to answer questions about how these stolen files were used, and by whom. Referring this report to the Department of Justice for criminal investigation is one of the next steps we must consider.

“There can no longer be any doubt now, if there ever was, that these files were stolen. In the information age, document theft may take the form of a series of surreptitious strikes on a keyboard rather than the picking of a filing cabinet lock, but it is still theft, and it is still wrong. All senators understand the work of their staffs to be confidential. The trust in this confidentiality goes to the very heart of the work of the committees of the Senate and of the Senate itself. Much like the letters that sit in the mailboxes on our porches, these files were not kept under a physical lock and key, but nor were they there for anyone to open. Taking things that do not belong to you is wrong, and there is no excusing or whitewashing it.

“The calculating partisans who put their own ethics and agenda above the good of the Senate have tainted the work of our committee. Their wrongdoing cannot be tolerated, and they must be held accountable for their actions.

“As a former prosecutor, I know that we must take care to avoid compromising any future criminal prosecutions that may arise from this sordid affair. I want the full facts of this investigation to be brought to public light. I also want full accountability for those responsible. We should strike the right balance between those two goals.”

http://leahy.senate.gov/press/200403/0304b.html

[TacticalPeek]

10. Q & A

To Hatch: Do you agree that they were stolen.

Hatch says it was unethical and wrong, someone else should decide if it was a crime.

Leahy pretty much agrees, let someone outside the committee decide.

They will meet again next week to discuss.

[Stephanie]

12. Fantastic. They are discussing possibility of a special prosecutor

Leahy: I felt this must be transparent, get this redacted report out.

[TacticalPeek]

13. Surely the reporters will ask about the WH letter?

Come on.

[Stephanie]

14. What letter?

Missed that.

[TacticalPeek]

19. At the thread link in #3 (I fixed the syntax)

Still haven't found the whole Gonzales letter, just the Boston Globe article. And TPM.

[seemslikeadream]

15. Sens. Hatch And Leahy Receive "Memo" Report

CONTACT: Office of Senator Leahy, 202-224-4242
VERMONT


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sens. Hatch And Leahy Receive "Memo" Report

Washington, DC – Senate Sergeant at Arms William Pickle Wednesday afternoon presented Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) and Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) with a report on the results of that office’s investigation into the improper access to Democratic documents from the Committee’s computer system.

In a joint statement, the senators said: “We know this investigation took a great deal of skill, sensitivity and commitment, and Mr. Pickle and his staff deserve credit for meeting the challenge with the utmost professionalism.”

The full Senate Judiciary Committee will discuss the report during a closed session on Thursday, March 4. Chairman Hatch and Senator Leahy will be available for comment Thursday afternoon at a location and time to be announced.

http://leahy.senate.gov/press/200403/030304a.html

[Stephanie]

16. Hah! Leahy talking about Watergate

.

[seemslikeadream]

17. Judiciary Democrats Send New Letter To Ashcroft On Stolen Memos

(Monday, March 1) Note: Senators Leahy, Kennedy, Schumer and Durbin Monday released a letter they have sent to Attorney General John Ashcroft asking what knowledge and/or involvement he and officials in the Department of Justice may have had regarding the systematic pilfering and dissemination of internal Democratic staff documents by Republican staffers on the Judiciary Committee. The letter is one of two sent in recent days by the Democratic Senators, who are attempting to determine what information and involvement various federal agencies, departments and officials may have had relating to the theft and the stolen computer records. A similar letter was sent to the White House on Feb. 25. The text of that letter, to White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales, is available by clicking here.]

February 27, 2004

The Honorable John D. Ashcroft
Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Attorney General Ashcroft:

As you know, the Senate Sergeant at Arms is currently investigating the theft by Republican staff of internal Democratic computer files from the Judiciary Committee server. Thousands of computer files are involved, and the secret surveillance apparently took place from at least 2001 into 2003. It appears that those involved in this surveillance and theft passed along information derived from their activities to partisan activists and to hand-picked columnists and media organizations. The subject matter of most of the stolen materials appears to have been judicial nominations.

Questions therefore arise as to whether anyone at the Department of Justice, which is involved in supporting the Administration’s judicial nominees, was involved in or aware of these activities or made privy to information obtained through this course of conduct:

Did you or anyone working in the Office of Legal Policy or elsewhere in the Justice Department, now or during the years 2001-2003 receive any of the computer files of Democratic Senators or their staffs, or information derived from those files?

Were you or anyone working at the Justice Department aware that Democratic computer files were the objects of Republican staff spying, theft or dissemination?

Did you or anyone who worked at the Justice Department from 2001-03 receive from C. Boyden Gray, Sean Rushton, Kay Daly, the Committee for Justice, the Coalition for a Fair Judiciary or any other intermediary any of the computer files of Democratic Senators or their staffs or information derived from those files?

Did you or anyone who worked at the Justice Department from 2001-03 receive from Manuel Miranda or any other Senate employee or employees any of the computer files of Democratic Senators or their staffs or information derived from those files?

Did you or anyone who has served at the Justice Department receive from Administration employees at the White House or elsewhere any of the computer files of Democratic Senators or their staffs or information derived from those files?

Please detail the contacts you and those serving at the Justice Department had with Manuel Miranda regarding judicial nominations. Did Mr. Miranda ever indicate to anyone at the Department of Justice that he had a means of obtaining inside information from the office of any Democratic Judiciary Committee member? Did he ever offer to provide anyone at Justice with such information?

Please detail the contacts you and those serving at the Justice Department had with C. Boyden Gray, Sean Rushton, Kay Daly, the Committee for Justice, and the Coalition for a Fair Judiciary regarding judicial nominations. Did any of these individuals ever indicate to anyone at Justice that he or she had a means of obtaining insider information from the office of any Democratic Judiciary Committee member? Did he or she ever offer to provide anyone at Justice with such information?

Given the frequency with which former Republican staffers of the Senate Judiciary Committee find employment at the Department of Justice, what efforts have you made to ensure that no one involved, implicated or aware of the computer thefts has been hired by the Justice Department and that no one who previously worked at the Judiciary Committee was involved, implicated or aware? Please provide the results of your inquiry.

We would appreciate your candid and thorough response to each of these important and relevant questions. We would also appreciate knowing what steps you took to assure yourself that no one affiliated with the Justice Department was involved, implicated, aware of or a beneficiary of these computer thefts.

We have yet to hear you or anyone from the Justice Department condemn this activity. Respectfully, we believe that the Administration’s confrontational and “by whatever means necessary” approach to its judicial nominations, as to so many issues, greatly contributed to the atmosphere in which Republican Senate offices committed these acts. As we are sure you would agree, establishing full public accountability for these computer thefts is an important first step toward restoring the basic trust that is necessary to restore comity in the Senate and with the Executive Branch.

Sincerely,

PATRICK LEAHY
United States Senator

EDWARD M KENNEDY
United States Senator

CHARLES E. SCHUMER
United States Senator

RICHARD J. DURBIN
United States Senator

http://leahy.senate.gov/press/200403/030104.html

[MO_Dem]

18. Hatch looks very, very miserable

He's usually so cocky. I'm loving it!

[seemslikeadream]

20. Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats' Letter

Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats' Letter
To White House On Theft Of Stolen Memos

February 25, 2004

The Honorable Alberto R. Gonzales
Counsel to the President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Judge Gonzales,

As you know, the Senate Sergeant at Arms is currently investigating the theft by Republican staff of internal Democratic computer files from the Judiciary Committee server. Thousands of computer files are involved, and the secret surveillance apparently took place from at least 2001 into 2003. It appears that those involved in this surveillance and theft passed along information derived from their activities to partisan activists and to hand_picked columnists and media organizations.


Questions arise as to whether anyone at the White House was involved or aware of these activities or made privy to information obtained through this course of conduct:


Did you or anyone working in the White House Counsel’s Office or the White House or anyone who formerly worked in that office or the White House receive any of the computer files of Democratic Senators or their staffs, or information derived from those files?


Were you or anyone who has served in your office or at the White House aware that Democratic computer files were the objects of Republican staff spying, theft and dissemination?


Did you or anyone who has served in your office or at the White House receive from C. Boyden Gray, Sean Rushton, Kay Daly, the Committee for Justice, the Coalition for a Fair Judiciary or any other intermediary any of the computer files of Democratic Senators or their staffs or information derived from those files?


Did you or anyone who has served in your office or at the White House receive from Manuel Miranda or any other Senate employee or employees any of the computer files of Democratic Senators or their staffs or information derived from those files?


Did you or anyone who has served in your office or at the White House receive from employees at the Department of Justice any of the computer files of Democratic Senators or their staffs or information derived from those files?

Please detail the contacts you and those serving in your office and those at the White House had with Manual Miranda regarding judicial nominations.


Please detail the contacts you and those serving in your office and those at the White House had with C. Boyden Gray, Sean Rushton, Kay Daly, the Committee for Justice, and the Coalition for a Fair Judiciary regarding judicial nominations.


We would appreciate your candid and thorough response to each of these important and relevant questions. We would also appreciate knowing what steps you took to assure yourself that no one in your office or at the White House was involved, implicated, aware of or a beneficiary of these computer thefts.


We have yet to hear you or the President condemn this activity. Respectfully, we believe that the Administration’s "by whatever means necessary" approach to its judicial nominations, as to so many issues, greatly contributed to the atmosphere in which Republican staff committed these acts. As we are sure you would agree, establishing full public accountability for these computer thefts is an important first step toward restoring the basic trust that is necessary to restore comity in the Senate and with the Executive Branch.

Sincerely,

PATRICK LEAHY
EDWARD M. KENNEDY
CHARLES E. SCHUMER
RICHARD J. DURBIN

http://leahy.senate.gov/press/200402/022504a.html

[TacticalPeek]

21. Leahy refers to his election to Senate in 1975, Watergate time.

Mentions coverup problems then, and they don't want it again.

:evilgrin:

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

22. Was it just the 2?

Leahy: No
Hatch: Yes

Lol

[TacticalPeek]

23. Hatch talked about 100 of his memos being accessed.

Said it was the same 2 guys. Then backtracked and said it was insecure so it could have been anybody else too. Then said he wasn't implying anything, no evidence etc.

Just can't resist that spin.

[stepnw1f]

24. Flood Gates 2004

[TacticalPeek]

25. Sounds to me like the two dudes are going to the slammer.

Hatch said the thought the 2 might say they were justified because 'this was war' - partisan fighting, interest group pressure.

Tah tah boys.

Hatch demeans himself trying to defend and excuse this, then claims he is not defending and excusing it.

[Catherine Vincent]

26. Why aren't the TV pundits giving air time to this thievery?

They did it for the bogus charges of the Clinton/Gore staff stealing stuff.

LIBERAL MEDIA MY ASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Disturbed]

27. Asscroft stonewall.

A Special Prosecuter should be demanded. Asscroft will only stall or not act at all on this. Asscroft has legal probs of his own. He may be indicted soon.

[UTUSN]

28. Pleasantly Surprising It's Gotten This Far

One little Clarence-THOMAS/Miguel-ESTRADA minority wingnut (Manuel MIRANDA) who will earn his criminal stripes to come back with a vengeance in a future Shrub mal-administration.

[peacetalksforall]

29. So the politico-technicians go to jail, but the top guns who used the data

go to leaderships positions?

This is justice?

[UTUSN]

30. Kick n/t