Senators review Judiciary memo report

[Khephra]

Senators review Judiciary memo report

By JESSE J. HOLLAND
The Associated Press
3/4/2004, 10:53 a.m. ET


WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators met privately Thursday to review a report on how Democratic computer memos on judicial nominees ended up in GOP hands before resuming public debate on who's to blame for the computer intrusion.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who viewed the report on Wednesday with ranking Democrat Patrick Leahy of Vermont, would not reveal what Sergeant-at-Arms William Pickle said in the report before closing the committee meeting to the public and the media. Only senators and their top Judiciary Committee lawyer were allowed inside.

But "whether any criminal laws were broken, the improper access was wrong and unjustifiable," said Hatch, who blamed "two misguided former Senate staffers" for the computer intrusion.

In addition to the thousands of documents that Democrats say were accessed, Hatch said more than 100 of his computer files were also "improperly accessed and transmitted outside the Senate."

more...........

http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/lateststories/index.ssf?/base/politics-2/1078415045287791.xml

[sonias]

1. "two misguided former Senate staffers"

There you are (an unnamed Hatch staffer and Manuel Miranda), the two scapegoats. Now lets move on nothing to see here. We fired them okay so let's pretend it never happened.

(snip)
"If you take things that do not belong to you, that is wrong and there is no way to whitewash that," Leahy said. "They bring dishonor to this committee, but they also bring dishonor to the United States Senate."
(/snip)

Way to go Leahy!!

Talking Points Memo had some more interesting details on the filegate.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_02_29.html#002627
"As I explained, I am not aware of any credible allegation of White House involvement in this matter. Consequently, there has been no White House investigation or effort to determine whether anyone at the White House was aware of or involved in these activities."
Alberto Gonzales, Chief Legal Weasel for BFEE

(/snip)

Ah the old "credible allegation" defense. And the definition of credible is what Alberto?

Sonia

[bigtime]

2. "no credible allegation"

That is just code for "we don't think you can prove it"

[yellowcanine]

3. B.S. Little Ricky Santorum's fingerprints are all over this scandal

And no one can tell me any different. Staffers are just not going to pull this kind of shit all by their little selves. I wouldn't be surprised if Ricky weren't perusing the files himself.