It’s More than Just WHETHER the E-Mails Are On the Back-Ups (emptywheel)

[kpete]

It’s More than Just WHETHER the E-Mails Are On the Back-Ups
By: emptywheel Tuesday January 8, 2008 2:37 pm

A number of you sent me the AP article reporting that the White House will have to 'fess up to whether or not the millions of missing emails are on the back-up tapes.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hKKWSY_43nHexg55YcW2X9YXNayAD8U1T7U00

But the actual order is more interesting than that. Here's what Facciola ordered:
.............

With that understanding, the court will order the defendants to provide answers to the following questions:

1. Are the back-ups catalogued, labeled or otherwise identified to indicate the period of time they cover?

2. Are the back-ups catalogued, labeled or otherwise identified to indicate the data contained therein?

3. Do the back-ups contain emails written and received between 2003-2005?

4. Do the back-ups contain the emails said to be missing that are the subject of this lawsuit?

..............


See, I'm guessing the answer to the more general question--whether the missing emails are on the backup tapes--will be "no." But consider what it would mean if the four questions are answered as follows:

1. Yes, the back-ups are labeled to indicate the period of time they cover.

2. Yes, the back-ups are labeled to identify the data contained there-in.

3. Yes, the back-ups contain e-mail written between 2003 and 2005.

4. No, the back-ups do not contain the emails that are the subject of this lawsuit.



Fascinating stuff - much more at:
http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/08/its-more-than-just-whether-the-e-mails-are-on-the-back-ups/

[Missy Vixen]

1. This is explosive

According to emptywheel, we'll have some answers in five days.

Julie

[RuleOfNah]

2. Multiple violations?

I am not highly familiar with this case (does GeekSquad have a FAQ for this case?) but can't help wondering if those questions are intended to define the boundaries of intent and incompetence. I suspect the answer to all four questions is supposed to be yes and that any yes answers will lend gravity to the prosecution of any no answers, perhaps on multiple/additional counts.

Or maybe it is yet more 'dog ate my' political theater.

:popcorn:

[bluesmail]

3. Anyway you look at this, the * administration LOOKS corrupt

Absolute power corrupts. Absolutely true. Can anyone tell me who wrote that? It's a phrase that I can even use at work.

[DCKit]

5. Lord Acton according to this link:

http://www.strike-the-root.com/4/bylund/bylund3.html

[Richard Steele]

4. K&R

[L. Coyote]

6. K & R