Under a court-ordered disclosure, the Bush White House revealed this week that it destroyed e-mail backup tapes for a period of time before October 2003 — a possible violation of federal laws requiring preservation of presidential documents.
The revelation came amid a lawsuit by citizen groups trying to find out what happened to millions of allegedly missing White House e-mails.
Because of the recycling, “there may be no way to recover the missing e-mails from a period in which the U.S. decided to go to war with Iraq, White House officials leaked the identity of Valerie Plame and the Justice Department started a criminal investigation of the White House,†said Anne Weismann, a lawyer for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
The most secretive administration in history is working hard to cover its tracks. What does the Bush team have to hide? Apparently a lot.
55 Comments
This corrupt family has been the CIA’s darling dynasty since ghwb’s father and even prior to that. These people are extremely hard core criminals and can and do what they want. the main reason they get away with so much is that these people live by Machiavelli’s “The Prince” as a bible. They’ve fooled a lot of good but gullible and uninformed church goers that they are “one of them”. There is soooo much history on these scumbags that if people would read a book once in a while, they would hang these bastards by their thumbs.
The true definition of a traitor is sitting in the Oval Office as we speak.
They should investigate with “Big Ears” Waxman. I’m sure with his over-sized ears and nostrils, he should be able to vacuum out any evidence.
The troll-boy starts early today.
At least I’m a registered user Apophis. I registered with the Wichita Eagle with this nic and the email attached to this nic.
If anyone is a troll,it is you for constantly making ad hominem remarks about other posters.
how do you know that I am not registered?
answer: you don’t
just another troll-boy attack…………
(an ad hominem remark toward me?)
I see the pillow fights between the light weights has started already. Decent thread washed again by people without a clue.
Yep, sure does sound like a past republican president. The difference is this president will sign a signing statement absolving himself from all laws, ’cause he is the prez, and he runs things. He don’t need no stinkin’ Constitution.
Nah stumper, I’m only here for awhile. I’ll be leaving soon for another all day meeting here in Topeka.
I just couldn’t resisit yanking the troll-boy’s chain since he totally demolished the thread yesterday about Huckabee’s Constitution/bible gaffe.
Like I say, I figured it out.
This administration just keeps committing crime after crime. Before one can be investigated, they pull another caper and move the attention.
If there is any remnant of justice in this sorry country, bush will eventually see the inside of a prison.
Amen J R
I wonder if anyone can or will try to investigate this administration after they leave the White House? A side effect to that would be a large number of civil lawsuits for “wrongful death”? also a large number of insider books about the administration that could hasten any investigation.
Wonder — would it be worth it? or should we just let history write thier epitaph ……
Haliburton moved its HQ to Dubai. Wonder if that was to escape prosecution and avoid US taxation. Wonder where Cheney will retire to. Wonder where Bush will end up. Does Dubai extradite to the US?
Man, most all major companies, especially ones that Buchco has anything to do with are moving over there. Do they know something about our economy? You bet. They are escaping before we find out how much they’ve pillaged this country. They know we’ll be a pissed off lot.
Fortunately, the truth can run, but it cannot hide (forever).
The “Best Practices” for back up is to have a back up in three locations. 1) Primary kept on site for quick restoration. 2) Local – usually a safe deposit box in the local town. 3) Offsite storage. This location would be well out of the city and account for serious disasters such as tornado, city wide flooding etc. One of the companies I worked for sent their third level back up outside the country.
Given that the WH claims they use industry best practices, are they expecting us to believe that all three levels have been overwritten?
Oops, BushCo.
ken
Posted January 17, 2008 at 7:46 am | Permalink
I wonder if anyone can or will try to investigate this administration after they leave the White House? A side effect to that would be a large number of civil lawsuits for “wrongful death”? also a large number of insider books about the administration that could hasten any investigation.
Wonder — would it be worth it? or should we just let history write thier epitaph ……
Ken – Why should this administration get a walk. Why are people, with all this evidence piling up, still giving Bush an out. From the moment he won the nomination in 2000, I have been utterly confused about people’s willingness to follow this man blindly, and defend him blindly. Even people who hate him are just waiting him out, instead of going after him like the criminal he is.
“I have been utterly confused about people’s willingness to follow this man blindly, and defend him blindly”
“Stupid is as stupid does”- Forest Gump
Ok, When are the Clintons going to release their records, especially Hillary? And I bet the Wichita Eagle never lost an e-mail in their history.
george – Seriously?!? Ugh!! The MAN IS A CRIMINAL, HE DESTROYED TAPES FOR 2 YEARS, AND YOU ARE BRINGING UP THE CLINTONS, AGAIN!!!
George, George, George…
I bet the wichita Eagle never LOST an email????
Lost???
Something to be said for blind allegiance, I suppose.
I voted for the scoundrel twice and I can see through the smoke screen that these bastards have put up.
Nazi foot soldiers were just following orders too bro, don’t worry about it.
With Scholfield, you should always ask yourself,; is this legit, or is it just more left wing smear?
I note that Randy comments that recording over the backup tapes is: “a possible violation of federal laws requiring preservation of presidential documents.”
Is it or isn’t it?
In the article, the following: “Before October 2003, the White House recycled its backup tapes “consistent with industry best practices,” according to a sworn statement by a White House aide.”
Is this true? If so, what’s the problem?
And this form the article: “Separately, the White House says it is still unable to address the question of how many e-mails are missing from White House servers, or whether any are missing.
The White House “does not know if any e-mails were not properly preserved in the archiving process” from 2003 to 2005, said the statement by Theresa Payton, chief information officer for the White House Office of Administration. She said the White House continues its efforts to find out and that an assessment will be completed in the “near term.”
So it may be that no emails are missing, regardless?!
Once again, Scholfield’s pink underwear is showing.
As a Republican, my concern is that their is nothing better in the running for the next election! This party is so hijacked that it may be time to give up on them.
Swinging liberal/socialist isn’t the answer either.
semperfi71,
Try Libertarian on for size…
Wow, Scholfield even through Valerie Plame in there for good measure. It’s a wonder Scholfield doesn’t crack his computer screen from all that arm flailing conspiracy driven agenda he has.
From what I read the White House didn’t confess they destroyed anything. They said the tapes holding the old emails may have been written over.
Scholfield has never deleted an email has he? Is he guilty of obstructing justice holding back vital information in an active investigation? Perhaps the FBI should investigate – or not.
Regular – I think you know there is a difference between a reporter deleting an e-mail and the White House deleting e-mails, or maybe you are ignorant.
Are you folks really comparing a journalist to the President and his minions? No wonder this country is so f&%ked now.
Pleefer – Not only are they comparing a journalist to the President, but they have ALREADY brought up Clinton. Jeez!!!
These shenanigans that Bushco are always pulling off are well beyond some goofy tit for tat against Clinton. But I’m definitely not a fan of any Clinton either.
The best way to unmask a would be dictator is to let them carry on and act like one.
It would seem to me that Bush and Company are just trying to run out the clock on this miserable administration, kind of like a football team taking a knee in Victory Formation, except the Bush team has lost the game.
This is truly sad. The Administration has completely forgotten that THEY work for us – all Americans – and not the other way around. The Imperial Presidency was not what our founders had in mind.
That having been said, I will be equally as pissed off if the next administration, that of President Barack Obama, tries the same approach.
I do have to say, however, that the trappings of an Imperial Presidency seems to be exclusive province of the Republicans.
Nope, I was just throttling R. Scholfield for putting on his twisted version of the news story.
R. Scholfield wrote:
“Under a court-ordered disclosure, the Bush White House revealed this week that it destroyed e-mail backup tapes”
The story actually said:
“The White House acknowledges recycling backup computer tapes of e-mail…”
R.Scholfield conveniently left out the statement:
“Fratto, the White House spokesman, said that “there is no basis to say that the White House has destroyed any evidence or engaged in any misconduct.”"
Industry best practices? What industry is that? The President is required by law to preserve all documents including email. If they wrote over any backups without preserving copies, then they violated the law. Period.
I think it’s time.
Now their side of things was reactive and quick with the charge. I’ve waited and waited.
They afford bush so much. They forgive him anything.
It’s time to say it.
Those who STILL support george bush and his administration are un American. They are traitors to their country, it’s principles and people, for the sake of one sorry excuse for a man. Shame on them.
“Industry best practices? What industry is that?”
That would be the IT industry. The industry that would set best practices for what is being described.
#
TJ
Posted January 17, 2008 at 10:43 am | Permalink
Industry best practices? What industry is that? The President is required by law to preserve all documents including email. If they wrote over any backups without preserving copies, then they violated the law. Period.
——————–
Not necessarily is it required to keep documents or electronic media forever.
When I was in the military, there was a specified number of years for media to be kept before it was archived. For instance, ribbons from typewriters were kept for a certain amount of time if they were used in classified areas, then destroyed by incineration.
Media tapes on the big reels were also only kept for a certain time, degaussed and then re-used. If a matter was required to be in a permanent archive, then it would be hard copied. If it wasn’t, then it was destroyed or recycled.
Even X-rays from the Hospitals were recycled ever so often for their silver content, if I understood a conversation I overheard once.
The presidency is required to retain all documents, including e-mails. That is the law – to tape over the documents is a violation of the law. No amount of “industry best practices” excuses their actions.
If it had been the Clinton White House that had done this, the right wing would be going nuts. Rush Limbaugh would be apoplectic. Glenn Beck would blow a gasket. O’Hannity would be devoting HOURS of air time denouncing the “criminal activities.”
The presidency is not an industry. There are laws to be followed regarding documentation. They broke those laws.
And, by the way, why did it take a court order for this information to be revealed?
Do Bush and Company think that they are above the law?
We all know the answer to that question.
GAO knocks Clinton administration’s e-mail record keeping
By Dennis Blank
Special to GCN
MAY 8—The staffs of former President Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore did a poor job of saving e-mail records, according to a General Accounting Office report.
The administration lost many e-mail messages because of malfunctioning computers and miscommunication, GAO investigators reported late last month in Electronic Records: Clinton Administration’s Management of Executive Office of the President E-Mail System. “The Office of the Vice President did not implement adequate records management practices to ensure that all e-mail records generated or received were preserved in accordance with applicable law and best practices,” the report said.
Gore’s office stopped making copies and saving e-mail messages on tape backup as required by law sometime after May 1993, investigators said.
The government has spent more than $11.7 million to restore the records, according to the report. Clinton’s executive office did not effectively monitor management of e-mail records, the report said. Although the Executive Office of the President was aware of Automated Records Management System malfunctions that prevented e-mail capture, White House officials said they did not understand the scope of the problem. Officials were also unable to supply written documents to support their claim that they had notified investigating agencies, investigators reported.
The GAO charged that officials in both offices had a legal responsibility to comply with the law and properly maintain e-mail records. But between October 1996 and May 1999, two malfunctions prevented Internet e-mail from being properly archived [ http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/2203-1.html.
“The malfunction was caused by improper user account configuration in which the server name ‘Mail2’ was spelled ‘MAIL2,’” the GAO said. “Because the ARMS interface program did not recognize the upper-case spelling of the mail server name, it was unable to locate and capture new income e-mail messages for these user accounts.”
Even though the malfunctions were discovered in June 1998, and fixed in November 1998, the White House said it did not realize until February 2000 that the glitch “had affected the integrity of White House document productions,” according to the GAO.
An error by a Northrop Grumman employee caused another malfunction that prevented the capture of incoming Internet e-mail to users with first names starting with the letter “D.” That glitch was discovered several months later and fixed in May 1999, the GAO report said.
“Because [the Office of the Vice President] did not ensure the preservation of e-mail records in either paper or electronic form presidential records may have been irretrievably lost,” GAO said. “Computer malfunctions, ineffective systems, and records management practices and miscommunication between EOP components led to e-mail records not being preserved by ARMS.” GCN Website
So this is epidemic for both dynasties (Bush/Clinton), we need a new Revolution. Everything you see in the debates (aside from Ron Paul) is strictly theatre. These people all work for the same bankers. When will people give up the notion that there is a difference in either party?
Like it or not it is time for Ron Paul.
I’m no shill for Ron Paul, he’s just the outsider that sees enough about the inside to know what is going on. As much as people want to minimize him and call him a kook, he’s no criminal like the Little Satans.
Gee, this administration is so busy eating it’s own history that by the time it’s out of office none of us will even remember it existed. Who was that masked man?
You guys don’t seem to realize that the IT Industry is not subject to the same rules as the executive branch of government. Best practice for my IT shop is one thing, my emails are not public record. Cheney’s emails are. The office of the President is NOT part of the IT industry. They need to follow the law, not best practices of the private sector.
They investigated Clinton for this and he never claimed destroying emails was “best practice,” so let’s give Bush the same treatment.
Destroying the emails probably was the best practice from BushCo’s perspective.
Taking a slap on the wrist for destroying emails msut have been a better decision than allowing those emails to become a matter of public record.
I don’t know what was in those emails, but I guarantee someone made a decision not to retain them because of their content.
It would be one thing if it was a computer glitch like in the clinton years, and if they corrected the problem when it was found, but to have no emails and say they’re not preserving public documents because of industry best practices. They clearly have no fear of being held accountable to the law.
Remember when Ollie North sold weapons to America’s enemies and then tried to delete his emails but forgot about the backups? Clearly this same group has learned from their past mistakes.
Indeed, TJ. If this was “best practices,” then war is peace.
While the country is trying to examine one of the bush violations, he and his administration will have moved on to another and another.
re: ken “I wonder if anyone can or will try to investigate this administration after they leave the White House?”
Actually there is precedent for impeachment proceedings AFTER someone has left office. William W. Belknap, Sec. of War under Republican President Grant resigned to avoid impeachment but The House of Representatives went forward and unanimously impeached him anyway.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_W._Belknap
As for “irregular”,
http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/30775
Via CREW: The White House has now admitted that it does not have an effective system for storing and preserving emails. This is no mere technicality; it is this failure that led to the likely destruction of over 10 million email. What the White House has not explained is why it abandoned the electronic record-keeping system used by the prior administration — a system that properly preserved White House email — but did not replace it with another effective and appropriate system.
The Pentagon can’t find trillions of dollars either. How do you go about losing that?
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/01/29/eveningnews/main325985.shtml
Then thank heavens, 9-11 happened so we all forgot about that one too.
Here’s where this post should have went.
guess it’s fine if bush has electronic files destroyed after 3 yrs.(without backups) but the Cons. want Hillary to account for every moment she worked for the Rose law firm after decades.
One word explanation why they don’t keep WH e-mails. Plame!
I think I hear a leaf falling in the woods…….
Considering the REAL issues at hand – Implosion of American society from liberal (Lack of) values, Terrorists trying to Destroy All Western Civilization, etc,. This article is a waste of cyberspace.
The fact that we’re even having this sort of dialogue shows how low we’ve come as a species. Humans suck.
Best practices for the financial industry involves destroying records. Is that what Bush supporters want for our government? Meanwhile, some try to change the subject by insulting the values of half the country. JoeLiberty, if you don’t like America, move to Saudi Arabia where religious conservatives rule and they pay no taxes.
Hey Eagle
How about a thread on THESE White House records:
http://www.judicialwatch.org/judicial-watch-files-lawsuit-obtain-hillary-health-care-records-clinton-presidential-library
Of course, these records might show more evidence of Hillary’s heavy handed approach to “health care reform” the last time she was in charge.
Missing White House tapes — sound familiar?
Yes, reminds me of the Clinton’s Missing Records.
I agree with Senseimilla, Humans suck.
When it comes to Bush/Clinton/Bush you just have to look beyond the left/right paradign, in the end Globalists are selling this nation down the river and in the words of Pat Buchanan: “A day of reckoning is approaching. It is my hope that the price in blood, treasure and humiliation America will eventually be forced to pay for the hubris,arrogance and folly of the reigning foriegn policy elites is not, God forbid, War, defeat and the diminution of the Republic-the fate of every other great nation or empire that set out on the same course.
Go ahead and continue to squabble across party lines, while the Clintons and Bush’s go on another vacation together. There has not been an occupant in the White House outside of the Bush or Clinton families since 1988. If you buy the hype, this could continue until to 2012. How can this be in a constitutional republic?
Police State policies such as the Patriot Act, put in place by Bush have set the stage for the next Clinton who will be able to exploit them to extremes far beyond the Republicans would ever dream of being able to. Under another Clinton a horrific event like that at Waco under William J could become a normal accepted occurrence.
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Jack…
I love the blog. I added you to my digg account to bookmark it for later……
caper…
Is that a template? If not your a great designer!?…
Prince leaked…
do you know what is the first? i`ve the new album at my blog…
backup replace tape…
…
CAPER BUSH…
I Googled for something completely different, but found your page?and have to say thanks. nice read?…
Public Criminal Records…
Public criminal records are those criminal records at the national level which can be obtained by any private citizen without any form of government authorization either via internet or fee-based systems….