Leaking Problems
Tom Daschle, Joseph R. Biden, Carl Levin and Charles E. Schumer are members of the United States Senate.
October 9, 2003
The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
We write to express our continuing concerns regarding the manner in which your Administration is conducting the investigation into the apparently criminal leaking of a covert CIA operative's identity. You have personally pledged the White House's full cooperation in this investigation and you have stated your desire to see any culprits identified and prosecuted, but the Administration's actions are inconsistent with your words.
Already, just 14 days into this investigation, there have been at least five serious missteps.
First, although the Department of Justice commenced its investigation on Friday, September 26, the Justice Department did not ask the White House to order employees to preserve all relevant evidence until Monday, September 29. Every former prosecutor with whom we have spoken has said that the first step in such an investigation would be to ensure all potentially relevant evidence is preserved, yet the Justice Department waited four days before making a formal request for such documents.
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