Here's.......................MEMOGATE!!!!!

[TruthIsAll]

Add it to the list. Just in time for the election.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/27/politics/27PROB.html?ei=5006&en=9d755edea2dbd323&ex=1083643200&partner=ALTAVISTA1&pagewanted=print&position=

April 27, 2004
Justice Dept. Opens Inquiry on Memo Theft
By ERIC LICHTBLAU

ASHINGTON, April 26 — The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into accusations that Republican Congressional aides stole sensitive Democratic memorandums, and the department has tapped David N. Kelley, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, to lead the politically charged case, officials said Monday.

snip

In March, the Senate sergeant-at-arms concluded in a 65-page report that two Republican staff aides had engaged in widespread, unauthorized and possibly illegal spying by reading Democratic strategy memorandums on a Senate computer system.

Over at least 18 months, the aides improperly read, downloaded and printed 4,670 files concerning Democratic tactics in opposing many of Mr. Bush's judicial nominees, the report said, and some of the material was leaked to conservative groups supporting the nominees and news media outlets.

snip


Senator Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, the ranking Democrat on the judiciary panel, also welcomed the Justice Department's decision, saying, "With the powers available to a federal prosecutor, this matter can now be more thoroughly investigated, so that those who engaged in criminal conduct may be brought to justice."

Senator Schumer said that while Mr. Kelley, a Democrat, was an independent and capable prosecutor "without conflicts," Attorney General John Ashcroft should still remove himself from oversight of the case to avoid any potential conflicts.

A Democratic aide who spoke on condition of anonymity said, "Ashcroft has a potential conflict on many levels because he has a personal relationship with many of the Republican senators and he has direct control over Justice Department employees who may become involved in the investigation."

Mr. Kelley's office declined to comment. While the letter sent Monday by the Justice Department said that Mr. Kelley had been assigned to the case, it left open whether he would have the type of broad autonomy given to the prosecutor in another politically sensitive case involving the leak of a C.I.A. officer's identity.

more..

[Occulus]

1. cha-CHING

Pass the popcorn; this ought to be fun.

I did not download messages from that computer..... :evilgrin:

[AZCat]

2. The way I figure it, that's about 1 1/2 memos an hour

Is that all they did all day? What is wrong with these people, can't they just watch daytime teevee?

Sheesh, and to think they were probably on government pay...

[DeepModem Mom]

3. kicking this news --

[radfringe]

4. .....unless a link is found

I expect that this will result in a couple of low-level staffers being fired

they will be characterized as "...over-eager staffers...."

UNLESS one of these staffers spills the beans and starts naming names of GOP-big wigs that either told them to hack or otherwise encouraged them to hack