Gonzales Violated Security Rules with Spy Docs, Lied to Cover it Up (Wired)

[kpete]

Gonzales Violated Security Rules with Spy Docs, Lied to Cover it Up
By Ryan Singel EmailSeptember 02, 2008 | 8:44:56 PM

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales repeatedly violated federal secrecy rules by mishandling documents containing "zealously protected" secrets about government's warrantless wiretapping program, then lied to investigators to cover up his actions, Justice Department investigators reported Tuesday.
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/files/ag_secrecy.pdf

Before his ouster in August, 2007, Gonzales was prone to storing an ultra-secret document about the so-called Terrorist Surveillance Program in his briefcase at his home -- near, but not inside, a personal safe. And at his office, he stored at least 18 top secret documents about the NSA's wiretapping in a safe used by at least five employees not cleared to know about the program, according to a 29-page report (.pdf) from the department's Inspector General.

At issue are notes Gonzales wrote in March 2004 following a high-stakes rebellion at the Justice Department by conservative Republican appointees questioning the legality of the government's warrantless wiretapping program. Gonzales, then White House counsel, wrote 21 paragraphs of notes "memorializing" what top Congress officials were told about the the program, and how they reacted. Though he did not officially classify the notes, he wrapped them in several envelopes and at one point, wrote "AG - Eyes Only Top Secret" on the outermost envelope.

In fact the notes and other documents were so sensitive, they were classified as Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information or TS/SCI. That means that the documents can only be properly stored and viewed in specially constructed rooms immune to eavesdropping of all kinds.

more at:
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/09/gonzales-violat.html

[Supersedeas]

1. another opportunity for 'our' Attorney General to utilize the Mukasey Doctrine?