GOP Halts Effort to Retrieve White House E-Mails

[RamboLiberal]

Source: Washington Post

After promising last year to search its computers for tens of thousands of e-mails sent by White House officials, the Republican National Committee has informed a House committee that it no longer plans to retrieve the communications by restoring computer backup tapes, the panel's chairman said yesterday.

The move increases the likelihood that an untold number of RNC e-mails dealing with official White House business during the first term of the Bush administration -- including many sent or received by former presidential adviser Karl Rove -- will never be recovered, said House Democrats and public records advocates.

The RNC had previously told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that it was attempting to restore e-mails from 2001 to 2003, when the RNC had a policy of purging all e-mails, including those to and from White House officials, after 30 days. But Chairman Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) disclosed during a hearing yesterday that the RNC has now said it "has no intention of trying to restore the missing White House e-mails."

"The result is a potentially enormous gap in the historical record," Waxman said, including the buildup to the Iraq war.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/26/AR2008022602312.html?hpid=topnews

---

How F'ing convenient. As an IT Manager I say what a bunch of BS! I think Waxman ought to subpoena those tapes and get Congress to allot funds for a reputable data recovery service to recover the emails. Good grief what did the frickin' GOP waste on investigating the Clintons for 8 frickin' years? Wasn't it something like 70 million?

[Miss Chybil]

1. How convenient. nt

[mac56]

2. time for an independent counsel

to be assigned

[Window]

27. Way past time for an independent counsel

Peace:thumbsup:

[Herman74]

74. Time for an independent counsel examining why there's been no independent counsel n/t

[frylock]

55. time for an independent congress..

this should have been resolved months ago. don't hold your breath waiting for the current crop of milquetoast congress critters to issue subpoenas or actually follow through with some sort of substantive investigation.

[gratuitous]

3. Well, it's not like the RNC has any money

And what's the big schmeal anyway, right?

I guess all that's left is to simly ascribe the worst possible motives to everything the Bush administration and their party cronies have done. It's not like they have any evidence to the contrary, is it?

[global1]

4. They Probably Recovered Them - Read Them - And Decided That.....

maybe we shouldn't let them see the light of day.

I agree - Waxman should use the subpoena power of his committee and get a data recovery service to retrieve them.

[Red Zelda]

53. Wow ... what a scary thought tthat is.

[L. Coyote]

65. "...increases the likelihood that an untold number of RNC" members ARE CRIMINALS

Coverup all over again.

You have to wonder how many are about railroading Don Siegelman. We need a timeline for the missing e-mails.

[FreepFryer]

5. IOKIYAR = Fascism in action. (n/t)

[Old and In the Way]

6. Why would the Organized Crime Party offer up the evidence that convict s them?

It's obvious why they won't provide this information, just like it's obvious why theRNCC stopped financially auditing itself in 2003...they've been systematically breaking the law.

This is the Year of the Rat....next year it best be the Year of the Investigation.

[lisainmilo]

15. and hopefully a year of accountability for those actions n/t

[happygoluckytoyou]

7. FUCK THE GOP....... AND FUCK THEM AGAIN IN NOVEMBER

Register yourself.... push your adult children and siblings to register... and push at least ONE stranger to register...

i go to the post office and get the register forms.... bring them to work and pass them out to the 18-25 year olds..... i dare them to register.... i push them to register to VOTE BY MAIL if they are so busy they cant get time off...


2008...... setting the stage for the biggest turnout in US history....
and a rout by the democrats to restore our government and send the
GOP back to the stone-age (like THAT is a large leap for them)

[The Stranger]

8. That is why impeachment was so important.

Thanks to the Nancy Disaster, we will never know, and they will do it again. Just watch.

[sce56]

19. If you feel that way see this lady's video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-oDs3diOKU
http://www.usalone.com/on_the_table.php
She is the #3 on the list of hot fund raisers right now at ActBlue.com

[defendandprotect]

9. Think it was MORE than $70 MILLION . . . !!! $90 MILLION, maybe?

How much $ did it make for the TV networks running the garbage every day?

SWIFTBOATING is profitable for the few . . .

[Lasher]

23. Republican Witch Hunts Against Clinton Cost $91.3 Million Over 12 Years

And for all that not one person was ever convicted of any crime they committed while serving in the Clinton administration.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=2223218

[Roland99]

29. And how many subpoenaes?? DOZENS. How many against this admin? 2? 3?

:banghead:

[mdmc]

59. The GOP is always ready to fight for their beliefs

The Dems just triangulate...

[defendandprotect]

61. We used to have Democrats --- not owned by corporations -- who fought for

the Constitution and the public . . .!!!

Here's an interesting comment by a poster elsewhere . . .

“If the Democrats can’t landslide the Republicans this year, they ought to just wrap up, close down, emerge in a different form.” If moderates don’t feel moved to repudiate the past 7 years of idiocy, and by huge margins, it’s time to declare the patient dead.
But I am a progressive and President Obama will need to know that there remain a lot of issues over here to the left of things that still need to be addressed. And the puppeteer who holds a donkey puppet in one hand and an elephant puppet in the other needs to know that we see him up there."

[Lasher]

60. Quite a contrast

Sidney Blumenthal, during a 2003 interview about his book, The Clinton Wars:

I'll just read you something. If you look at page 791 of the book, you'll see what I say about that. In fact, there wasn't a single top official of the Clinton administration convicted of any crime involving public conduct in office. And, you know, the only official ever convicted of anything was the chief of staff to the Secretary of Agriculture, who was convicted of lying under oath in a failed prosecution that cost $21 million by an independent counsel. By contrast, 27 officials of the Nixon administration were convicted in Watergate, and 32 members of the Reagan administration convicted of crimes committed in Iran Contra and other scandals. So that's quite a contrast. And everything that Clinton was accused of in terms of crimes turned out to be bogus.

http://www.buzzflash.com/interviews/03/05/23_blumenthal.html

Despite the protection of the GOP lapdog congressional majority for the first 6 years, and despite the lack of interest from the infamously politicized Justice Department, there have been at least 6 convictions so far among members of the current administration.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200703080005

[Roland99]

67. Nice find.

[Lasher]

68. Thank you.

I never did answer your question about how many subpoenas were issued to Clinton administration officials. Guess I'll book up on that in the next week or so.

Come back at me if you ever want backup concerning scandals of any administration from Saint Ronnie of Reagan to present. I've collected a resource or two.

Lasher

[NewJeffCT]

56. $70 million was just Whitewater - don't forget

they also investigated Socks the Cat and many other important things.

[defendandprotect]

10. Wasn't Cheney the one who told Nixon to put the tapes on the WH lawn .. .

and burn them?

He was actually right --- had that happened, we wouldn't really know how corrupt that administration was . . . !!!

[frog92969]

14. He learned from history

and "our side" learned nothing.
How embarrassing.

[JPZenger]

39. We would have known, but not been able to prove it

The Repubs in Congress turned on Nixon when the most incriminating tapes were released. If Nixon had destroyed them earlier, he probably would have finished out his term. We would have known how corrupt he was, but the Repubs would have had plausible deniability.

[thecrow]

50. Cheney's fire.....

in his WH office.....
recently.....

just sayin'.....

[peacetalksforall]

11. What was Cheney doing in Dallas - was he setting this up or ...?

[lonestarnot]

13. No one has said what he was up to that I've read anywhere. I wish someone would spill.

[brooklynite]

12. If the election were held today...

most people would be confused because they expect to vote in November...

Seriously, we have nine months before election day, and any one poll result is meaningless.

[mysteryman2]

16. How about a warantless email search

They want warantless phone taps why not warantless email searches for the white house. some how it doesn't seem to sound good when it occurs to the whitehouse.

I hope the white house doesn't cry about wanting to give the emails up or it could be a double standard.

[JPZenger]

40. I hear one email has a Muslim word in it

I hear one RNC email has a Muslim word in it. That should justify a Homeland Security search.

[defendandprotect]

62. Yes . . .!!! A worthy question . . . !!

Somewhere all this information has been picked up --
have they picked thru that information recently and destroyed it all ?

Yet --- can anything really be destroyed --- ??

Someone has this stuff --

[Stinky The Clown]

17. And like good little puppies, the Democrats will just roll over .......

...... and go "aaaahhhhhhh" as they get their belly scratched.

[IsItJustMe]

18. Lots of things get deleted in this administration.

[anitar1]

20. May they and all their families suffer from horrible

wasting diseases for generations to come, and be shunned by all they meet.I hate being forced to lay spells but cannot contain myself, LOL.

[bjobotts]

21. They won't ever release incriminating evidence. They must be forced.

[bjobotts]

22. They own the DoJ...are we just hung up on the word "dictator"?

[michaz]

24. Well then, I guess that answers the question of what might be in those emails.

Obviously it is very incriminating!

[Quantess]

76. Indeed.

[truthisfreedom]

25. Cheats. CHEATS! LIARS AND CHEATS!

Scream from the roofs.

[jonnyra]

26. They lie with impunity

Break laws with no concern of accountability. Invade foreign nations and kill a million women and children. Spy on American citizens...re-write laws to cover up the crimes they have committed. Destroy the environment to turn bigger profits. This is the Republican party. This is the party our media protects and props up. This is the party supported by most major American corporations.

The republican party is a lawless, greedy bunch of white men hell bent on pillaging this nation and its citizens...robbing us of our livelihood and destroying or children's future. If there is a war to be fought it is a war against these fascists who have forced so many Americans into a life of struggle and hopelessness. The real enemy is the republican party and all its backers and media spokesmen.

I dream of the day Americans rise up and enact revenge upon this party of criminals.

[annabanana]

28. How many Laws will they manage to Break before Jan. 09???

This HAS to be a record.. Congress needs an enforcement arm to go in and secure the evidence. Who would have thought an administration could be so completely criminal...

[sattahipdeep]

43. Mute....WTC Hard Drive Recoveries?

After the CNN article of December 20, the U.S. media were stricken mute on the Convar investigation.
Of the media blackouts shrouding 9/11, none has been more absolute.

http://archives.cnn.com/2001/TECH/industry/12/20/wtc.harddrives.idg

http://www.journalof911studies.com/letters/MysteryofWTCHardDriveRecoveries.pdf

http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:BzLcTDrfSuEJ:www.journalof911studies.com/letters/MysteryofWTCHardDriveRecoveries.pdf+9+11+hard+drives&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&gl=us

[whistle]

30. This figures, more cover-up by the GOP which gives the nation the finger

...a "fuck you" and a tongue raspberry :wtf:

[Deny and Shred]

31. Does anyone know how the process works for reclassifying?

Obviously, BushCo has many skeletons in their closet. Just like JFK documents, the Nixon tapes, etc., most papers will be 'Secret' or "Top Secret" or Cheney will invent some 'Double Top Secret' classification to try to make sure they are not seen by the human eye for decades.
If someone were able to go through and reclassify, then perhaps we have a shot at some truth. Otherwise, most of their crimes, while obvious will remain speculation because the evidence will be in the dark.

[Jackpine Radical]

32. OMG--Who could have foreseen this??1!

Whadda totally shocking surprise!

Woddl they do next, declare war on some crippled-up oil-producing country somewhere?

[Gman]

33. I have to admit, after defending our Democratic Congress now

for over a year, I'm starting to get pretty disgusted. If no one gives a damn about a Congressional subpoena, then what the hell good are they? Is Congress even relevant anymore? The founding fathers would be so pissed off.

[farmbo]

34. Seize their servers!

They're now officially in contempt of Congress.

Send over the U.S. Marshall's service and
seize their servers!

Bring in the forensic experts and let them have at it.

:grr:

[Broadslidin]

36. So sorry, Nancy has instructed the 'dems' to pack it in and take a couple days off....

Yes Mame,
a couple of days rest
far away from all this
'same old, same old'.

[kenfrequed]

38. Oh for the love of...

How the hell can she do this???!!!

You know what really needs to be off the table? Another term with her as speaker of the house.

[jmowreader]

52. Come on...

do you really think the criminals in the RNC left the hard drives that contain the evidence in those servers?

Hard drives break down all the time, especially when you remove them from the computer and run over them with a steamroller.

[varelse]

35. How very shocking

appalling news, but sadly, not surprising :(

[kenfrequed]

37. Can we impeach now???!!

I keep asking the same question and I do call my congress critters to try to motivate them as well. When is enough enough?

Oh yeah, and I friggin DARE those very few of you here that argue against impeachment to do so again.

[MotorCityMan]

41. I know this is a dumb question

but are they not required by law to perserve documents during their term as it is part of the historical record?

Dumb question because I realize the law means absolute jack shit to these people.

It's their total "fuck you" arrogance that is really getting to me. November can't get here soon enough.

[MissMillie]

42. Clear violation of the Presidential Records Act of 1978

Is it time to hand out some indictments?

[disndat]

44. I hope the next President,

(pray for Obama!) will make available every piece of documentation of how the Bush administration has robbed the U.S. Treasury blind, as well as other capital crimes they have perpetrated on the people, so that no one will ever vote for another Republican president again. Obviously, Bush has successfully 'run down the clock' on these tapes with the help of enablers, Pelosi and Reid.

[paparush]

45. GODDAMNIT! The Rule of Law is DEAD! Dead in this country. Unless you are a blue collar criminal..

Sell an oz of marijuana, steal a car stereo, damage private property, and get ready to rot in jail for a while.

[fascisthunter]

46. The Whole RNC is Criminal... GOOD! You F*ckers are Goin' Down

You had you little last hoorah for 30 years. It's now over! You are the same fucking party that placed us into a Great Depression while stealing for the wealthy elite, lying to the blue collar worker for years about the left. It's now your time for reckoning.

[Mountainman]

47. Congress has been effectively neutered by this administration.

If there is one thing I have to give to BushCo is that they really know how to beat the system. They have everyone in their pocket and without cooperation from the right nothing will happen.

Only if those on the right see themselves as Americans first and Republicans second will anything ever happen.

We just have to learn to live with it.

[joeybee12]

48. Well, if Pelosi and Reed didn't roll over and play dead all the time...

...threatening the RNC might actually be a threat...does anyone think the Repukes are at all scared of the Dem leadership?

[L0oniX]

49. Yawn ...does anyone expect anything good from the GOP?

[stubtoe]

51. Crooks crooks crooks crooks crooks crooks crooks

crooks crooks crooks crooks crooks crooks crooks crooks crooks

[alfredo]

54. Cheney learned the wrong lessons from Watergate.

[katty]

57. what a surprise from these criminals

[classysassy]

58. Madam Speaker

do your duty,abide by the oath you swore to uphold country above party.IMPEACH BUSH AND CHANEY.

[BonnieJW]

63. Why bother?

They will ignore the subpoena like all the others and no one will do anything about it.

[redqueen]

64. Recommended.

Culture of corruption, anyone?

[L. Coyote]

66. They already recovered them, no doubt, but will not release incriminating materials.

[LiberalLovinLug]

69. So that's it?

We in our Empirical wisdom decided that even though We promised We would - to get you off our backs - We woke up today and decided that We would in fact not be restoring the record.
Thank-you, that will be all.

[RobertSeattle]

70. Bill Clinton must be smacking himself nowadays

"I didn't I just ignore every freaking investigation! Why didn't I just consider myself abvoe the law?"

[f the letter]

71. Amazing.

How can they defend that decision to not restore them? Can't the committee demand that they do it or surrender the drives from which they were erased?

[IdClaire]

72. They're really going to get away with

everything this?? I must be naive but I really can't believe its just over like this. There has to be some kind of karma or justice to be served.

[The Wizard]

73. if they can't produce evidence to the contrary

they must be guilty of starting a war predicated on lies, and are subject to punishment for war crimes in the International Court. Make them prove the negative.

[Doctor_J]

75. Too bad Bush never had sex, or we could impeach him.

[Herman74]

77. Jenna and Barbara may possibly disagree with your premise n/t

[BrightKnight]

78. What effort!?? - n/t

[JerseygirlCT]

79. I agree with you. They don't need to get the information - just

hand over the tapes, and we'll get it, thanks.