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Fifth Column
Bergler to regain clearance in time to serve in Hillary's cabinet
2005-09-08
Sandy Berger, President Clinton's national security adviser who was once entrusted with the nation's most sensitive secrets, was fined $50,000 Thursday for taking classified documents from the National Archives. U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson handed down the punishment in federal court, stiffening the $10,000 fine recommended by government lawyers. Under the deal, Berger avoids prison time but he must surrender access to classified government materials for three years.
So he gets it back in September 2008, so can work the campaign.
"The court finds the fine is inadequate because it doesn't reflect the seriousness of the offense," Robinson said, as a grim-faced Berger stood silently. She also sentenced Berger to two years' probation and 100 hours of community service.
Suggestions for the latter? Perhaps sorting out recyclable paper from garbage dumps and shredding it to pulp.
"I let considerations of the Democrats' partisan advantage personal convenience override clear rules of handling classified material," said Berger, calling his actions a lapse of judgment that came while he was preparing to testify before the Sept. 11 commission last year. "In this case, I failed. I will not get caught again," he said.

The sentencing capped a bizarre sequence of events in which Berger admitted to sneaking classified documents out of the National Archives in his suit, later destroying some of them in his office and then lying about it. Berger's lawyer, Lanny Breuer, said his client will not appeal the sentence. Initially saying his actions were an "honest mistake," Berger later pleaded guilty in April to a misdemeanor of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material, which contained information relating to terror threats in the United States during the 2000 millennium celebration. During Thursday's hearing, Breuer characterized Berger as an official eager to cover up get the facts of the Sept. 11 attacks right when he improperly took classified documents and handwritten notes from the Archives.
Posted by:MSM

#4  So did the handwritten notes on the documents that Sandy Burglar shredded contain:

a) The name 'Mohamed Atta'.
b) The words 'Able Danger'.
c) The phrase 'Don't worry - be happy!'
d) All of the above
Posted by: DMFD   2005-09-08 22:55  

#3  Sandy will have messy hearings. He'll never touch a secret document alone again - and it should be on his epitaph: "Why don't they make smaller shredders?"
Posted by: Frank G   2005-09-08 21:18  

#2  Nor can Judge Robinson be entrusted to hand down proper punishment.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2005-09-08 21:16  

#1  This is bullshit,he should have lost his clearance perminatly.He has proved he can't be trusted with classified docs.
Posted by: raptor   2005-09-08 19:24  

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