(Sandy) Berger Is Disbarred After Archives Case

[sabra]

Source: WP

Samuel R. "Sandy" Berger, a national security adviser to President Bill Clinton, was voluntarily disbarred from the practice of law yesterday by the D.C. Court of Appeals.

Berger agreed last month to relinquish his law license to the D.C. Board on Professional Responsibility, a part of the D.C. Bar, rather than submit to an investigation by the bar's counsel of his removal of classified documents from the National Archives. A three-member panel of the D.C. appellate court accepted his offer.

Berger pleaded guilty in April 2005 to taking classified material without authorization, a misdemeanor. As part of the plea agreement, Berger admitted he lied to Archives staff about taking copies of national security documents out of the building. He was fined $50,000 and barred from access to classified material for three years.

The Board on Professional Responsibility oversees ethical and professional standards for District lawyers, and the Office of Bar Counsel investigates allegations of unethical or unprofessional conduct. Bar counsel investigations are typically secret but are frequently triggered by media accounts of wrongdoing or, as in Berger's case, by criminal convictions.


Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/07/AR2007060702278.html

[babylonsister]

1. Here we go; stand by for gloating. nt

[Igel]

15. Gloating from whom?

The RW 'media' was full of this story weeks ago, and they were pissed.

Berger pleaded guilty; as soon as he pleaded, the investigation stopped. RW thought is that had the investigation continued, more would have surfaced--for example, why he took multiple copies of a single document, when the archives don't keep multiple copies of identical materials.

The RW hope was that the bar investigation would have continued. Upon conclusion, the results are made public. However, if the guy stops the investigation, say, by resigning, then the only public news is that there was an charge brought--even the charge itself is confidential.

The RWers are very much displeased by this; I haven't noticed any gloating.

[NewJeffCT]

2. and this will be used for the nexr 20 years by the RW media

to show how corrupt the Clinton people were - they committed a misdemeanor.

[underpants]

9. Well I wasn't driving to get lunch anyway

and that is good because I am sure that Rush will be talking about this for the whole show.

I wonder how many news shows this will pop up in the first 5 minutes. Jefferson pleads innocent, Berger disbarred

[AndyTiedye]

13. How Is It That Your Car Stereo Got Stuck on Limpballs Anyway? I'd Get it Serviced If I Were You

[underpants]

16. He's funnier than Franken ever was

he (and they) just don't know it

[coffeenap]

3. So, he faces the courts and accepts his punishment. Anyone

imagine the corrupt criminals in our government now doing the same? Ha!

[Turbineguy]

4. Are they still looking

for whoever it was who dissappeared parts of Bush's Service Records?

[DBoon]

5. and whatever happened to Katrina Leung?

For those not familiar with this case:

Poor Katrina Leung. If only she had given her FBI-earned money to Democrats, her bright smile would be appearing on newspaper front pages day after day, and Republicans would make sure every one in the country knew how to pronounce her name.

She wouldn’t be known as, simply, a “political fundraiser”; she’d have the more dignified title of “major Democratic Party donor and spy.” Republican attack dogs in Congress would already be conducting full-scale investigations. A special prosecutor would be called for. She would be vilified by Rush Limbaugh as a spy for the Democratic Party, which he would accuse of siding with the enemy. Bill O'Reilly would denounce her and the Democrats. Regnery Press would already have two books out railing about how she and the Democrats have committed treason against America. Ann Coulter would be calling for the chairman of the DNC to be put before a firing squad.

But Katrina Leung is unlucky in the celebrity category. She allegedly was a spy who loved the Republican Party too much. In news stories, Leung has been labeled as a "prominent Republican fundraiser" and "Republican activist." So the Republican scandal attack machine is silent, because she is one of them, after all.

The accused Chinese double agent and her husband decided to give thousands -- $27,000 in fact (by one account), since 1992 -- to the GOP.

See http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/03/05/19_spy.html and other sources.

For all of Sandy berger's misdemeanors, he never passed classified documents to a foreign government.

When a prominent GOP fundraiser DOES commit espionage, the punishment is.... nothing?

[louis-t]

7. And the RW spin machine keeps insisting...

he "stole classified documents and destroyed them." From all that I have seen, it was COPIES of classified documents. I have read statements from national archives people that say "no documents are missing." Am I wrong?

[underpants]

8. You are mostly right

I think (from memory)that he did destroy one actuall original document but it was the 3 in a line of 5 or so drafts so the ones after it had any of the added information included in them. All the others were copies of originals.

[specimenfred1984]

11. Post a link or that's just a smear

100% serious.

[underpants]

12. .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Berger#Convicted_of_mishandling_classified_terror_documents

[louis-t]

14. Key phrase-"no original docs destroyed"

Moonie times article never mentions that. They only use the phrase "removed classified documents." WSJ initially blasted the conspiracy theory, but changed their minds later. Maybe they got a phone call.

[tandot]

6. "Berger pleaded guilty in April 2005..." "...agreed last month to relinquish his law license"

Unlike so many Republican, he admitted to his wrongdoing and has accepted his punishment for it.

Look at Republicans like John Doolittle, Tom Delay, and others. They'll never admit guilt and instead blame Democrats for everything.

[Chomskyite]

10. Did we ever get a reason why he did this?

It just seems like such a ridiculous thing to do.

[wellst0nev0ter]

18. He Was Preparing To Testify Before The 9-11 Whitewash Committee

And apparently he decided to take shortcuts. If he'd only lie like so many Bush officials to the committee, he would have been in the clear :eyes:

[damntexdem]

17. It just goes to show:

Sandy should have attended Regents U.

[Cha]

19. Why doesn't cheney get disbarred?

Or sent to the Hague?

Why did Sandy Berger take these "classified documents", anyway?

[Canuckistanian]

20. Cheney's not a lawyer

B.A. and M.A. in Political Science only.

[Cha]

21. Yeah, I realized that after I

wrote it but I'm thinking .."Hague, then". He sure as hell needs the punishment to fit the crime.

[Canuckistanian]

22. Even so, disbarment would mean nothing to Cheney

Other than a mild embarrassment, it certainly wouldn't put a dent in his earning potential.

[Cha]

23. Right...cheney gang needs

to be indicted as war criminals and for crimes against humanity. The US corporatemediawhores need to be rounded up as well.

[libodem]

24. The radio Pundits need a name with a 'D' behind it

to bloviate, William Jefferson, DEMOCRAT, Louisiana, 'scandal'....see the democrats get caught doing naughty things, too. it's naught just the Republicans taking bribes and planning the downfall of western civilization as we know it, by hosing the Constitution....

[libodem]

25. Oh, Whoop Dee Dup

They have gotten 'em two Democrats to kick around on the radio now, so Limbah, can alternate tirades of righteous indignation on William Jefferson, DEMOCRAT,Louisiana and Sandy 'Burglar' DEMOCRAT of the Bill Clinton Supporting Kind. These two men are about to become human footballs of radio, television, the internet, and all the news everywhere for the next 3 days. We will forget Gonzo, Scooter, Abramhoff, Foley, Cunningham, DeLay, and the big fish at the head of the 'Family'. This is a gang of 'Made Men'. This is the "Mob" GOP, style. Fascism at it's finest. But now they scratched up two unfortunate bunglers for damage control. The 'they do it to' defense. My foot. What is the score? Two to twenty??? You won't think so by the time we hear DEMOCRAT a thousand times everytime we turn a noise box.... blah, blah, blah,

[Nikki Stone1]

26. What specific documents from the Clinton administration did he take?

They are supposed to be copies, according to the article, but what documents was he actually looking for?