WP: Democrats Seeking Release of Withheld Roberts Documents (Iran-Contra)

[kskiska]

Iran-Contra Among Topics of Reagan-Era Papers

After the release of about 60,000 documents detailing the work of Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr., Democratic senators are setting their sights on what was not in the huge cache of papers: more than 2,100 memos and letters that have been withheld by government archivists working in concert with the Bush White House.

The subjects of the Reagan-era documents have been released, but their contents for now have been withheld. Those topics are, Democrats say, at a minimum intriguing: Roberts commenting on presidential pardons, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and aspects of what would become known as the Iran-contra scandal. One of the still-secret memos is from the young White House lawyer to then-Reagan aide Patrick J. Buchanan in March 1986. The topic: aid to Nicaraguans fighting the leftist Sandinista government.

With Senate hearings two weeks away, Democrats privately say the documents that have come to light about Roberts's White House work from 1981 through 1986 probably do not contain disclosures that would threaten his confirmation to the Supreme Court. But some Democratic senators -- working with liberal special-interest groups opposed to Roberts -- consider the other documents potentially relevant and are pressuring archivists and the White House to release them before the public hearings begin.

Despite Democrats' suspicions about why so many documents about such politically sensitive issues were withheld, officials at the National Archives said there is a benign explanation.

There are three reasons the papers were withheld under federal records laws, according to Archives officials. They include preliminary judgments by archivists that information in them would improperly invade a person's privacy (such as revealing a Social Security number), jeopardize law enforcement operations or potentially harm national security.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/24/AR2005082402016.html

[Justitia]

1. Whoa nelly! Iran Contra? How timely. I'm pissed we have to beg for

these damn documents. Total bullshit!

[GetTheRightVote]

2. Will we ever get the truth about that ordeal, Iran Contra ???

I sure hope so.

:kick:

[Pithy Cherub]

3. Democrats should be tenacious and ferocious

about getting those papers before his testimony before Congress. If votes are made without a full and accurate reflection of Robert's record that is a breach of the public trust.

Iran Contra affiliation is just plain creepy and that was another republican foreign policy national security disaster. Wonder does the former Iran-contra Independent Counsel, Lawrence Walsh, have any additional insights on Roberts from this time as well.

[karynnj]

4. Or maybe John Kerry might have insights

He was involved in the early parts of the Contra/drug investigation when no one else would do it - after a plane crash in Central America confirmed some of Kerry's charges and (independently)the Iran weapons sale became known, the Iran/Contra hearing were started. Kerry a Freshman Senator was not included - possibly because of others wanting the limelight or fear that he would seriously go after the Republicans, (The perjury charges that held were for lying to Kerry's committee - the big hearing offered immunity,)

[Javaman]

5. I think we are seeing a pattern here...

They won't release the roberts papers, they won't release the abu garib photos, they won't release the bolton information. Nothing like an open transparent gov't, huh folks?

This is the pattern that needs to be exploited. They hide everything, the keep everything secret, they don't want the public to know, etc

colossal failure*

[DeepModem Mom]

6. kick