9/11 - Sandy Berger - stolen classified documents

Does the New York Post read my blog? Only last Friday I asked what had happened to the Sandy Burglar case. And now today, The New York Post gives us an update.

WASHINGTON — The criminal probe into why former Bill Clinton aide Sandy Berger illegally sneaked top-secret [codeword] documents out of the National Archives — possibly in his socks — has heated up and is now before a federal grand jury, The Post has learned.

The "Socks Docs" probe forced Berger, who was President Clinton's national security adviser, to step down as Democrat John Kerry's top foreign-policy adviser last summer.

"It may have been off the front pages, but the investigation has been active," said a source with knowledge of the probe.

"[Berger] has been interviewed several times by federal agents — FBI and prosecutors."

Berger admits removing 40 to 50 top-secret [codeword] documents from the archives, but claims it was an "honest mistake" made while he vetted documents for the 9/11 commission's probe into the Twin Towers attacks.

Berger has also acknowledged that he destroyed some documents — he says by accident.

Mistakes? Accidents? 40 - 50 documents? No way in hell.

You may have noticed I inserted "codeword" after the document classifications. That's because I have over 20 years experience with such documents. Without divulging any classified information, let me make it clear, there is absolutely no way in hell Berger did not know exactly what he was doing. These documents are so highly classified, that the "codeword" marked on the documents is, itself classified.

The probe was touched off last spring when stunned archives staffers reported seeing Berger sneak classified documents out of a top-secret reading room in his pants and socks while vetting Clinton-era items for the commission.

Then why in the hell was he not stopped?!? I have seen military peoples careers ruined for far less than this.

They then ran a sting operation in which they coded some documents and confirmed they were missing when Berger left.

Berger would have to have signed for any documents he researched. The staffers should have noted when he left that they had not been signed back in. The archive staffers need to be investigated as well for dereliction of duty.

The documents were classified Code Word, the highest security classification, above Top Secret.

Far above Top Secret. Again without going into details, the general public are not aware of how our classified system works. But Berger knew the extremely sensitive nature of the documents. He knew they were some of our country's best kept secrets.

So, why did he do it?

The commission report makes clear that Berger had a habit of writing candid notes in the margin of memos, sometimes flatly rejecting plans for action.

He nixed a plan to capture Osama bin Laden with one word: "No."

I would almost bet there is a lot more to it than this. We are, after all, talking about 40 - 50 pages of Top Secret Codeword documents.
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