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Waxman: White House All Thumbs With Classified Material
We knew from the Valerie Plame leak that the White House isn't exactly diligent with classified information. And we learned from Dick Cheney's claim that he's a fourth branch of government that he didn't really care who knew. But check out what Rep. Henry Waxman found.
In a letter today to White House Counsel Fred Fielding, Waxman disclosed numerous instances of sloppiness with classified material by both the president and the vice president's retinues, as well as what White House security officers told Waxman is a "systematic breakdown" in responding to security breaches. Indeed, according to Waxman, over half of the staff of the White House Security Office -- which is charged with protecting secrecy guidelines alongside the Archives' Information Security Oversight Office -- have quit over the last year.
To give the most baroque examples, Waxman's investigation found White House officials leaving classified material "unattended in a hotel room" as well as plopped on their desks at work. Typically, the White House Security Office did nothing in response.
Situations like these were typical:
In another example described to my staff, a junior White House aide reported that a senior assistant to the President improperly disclosed “Sensitive Compartmented Information” to the junior aide, even though the aide had no security clearance. Although SCI is the highest level of security classification, the White House Security Office took no steps to investigate or take corrective action. ...One example cited by the officials involved security procedures in the White House sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF). The security officers said that Mr. Knodell and Mr. Greeson habitually brought their Blackberry devices and cell phones into the SCIF in the White House Security Office in violation of the rules. The officials said that (White House Security Office head James) Knodell and (WHSO Deputy Ken) Greeson also allowed others, such as visiting White House personnel, to bring their Blackberries and cell phones into the SCIF. According to the officials, these improper practices were allowed to continue even after security officers repeatedly informed Mr. Knodell and Mr. Greeson that the practices violated security rules and set a poor example.
According to the security officers, the poor management and bad examples set by Mr. Knodell and Mr. Greeson caused extreme frustration and plummeting morale among White House security officers, resulting in the departure of more than half of the White House security officers within the last year.
Now recall that the White House in 2003 and 2004 threw a fit over allowing 9/11 Commission chairmen Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton access to highly classified presidential briefing materials. It's safe to say that neither Kean nor Hamilton took their Blackberries into the SCIF.
Comments (24)
OVP Security Reqts wrote on June 26, 2007 4:08 PM:Read about OVP Security Requirements, 32 CFR 2800 at the link. Shows there are EOs which do apply; and OVP must follow the law, or be prosecuted.
If Cheney's prosecuted and removed from office, as he could be outside impeachment, GOP is powerless to make the House and Senate agree to the President's choice for replacement.
The GOP fear: Cheney's legal issues could result in his replacement being [wait for it] . . .Pelosi.
Buck wrote on June 26, 2007 4:13 PM:Waxman's just giving notice. If they're sloppy with intelligence, imagine what else they're sloppy with. The "come clean" tip line is still open.
Ralph Kramden wrote on June 26, 2007 4:28 PM:But but but but... Sandy Berger!
Gramma Millie wrote on June 26, 2007 4:29 PM:Why do I have this sense that Congress will pursue this to its logical conclusion and will finally take action ... right around the 2008 elections? In other words, no meaningful accountability, once again.
rusty wrote on June 26, 2007 4:38 PM:I'd get fired for this kind of idiocy... and the only work I do with sensitive information is with people's identities and persmission slips for a county in NC.
This is truly staggering stupidity.
Anonymous wrote on June 26, 2007 4:50 PM:OVP says privacy good for me and bad for you. This was said as the GITMO, FISA, and privacy debates raged! Yes squealed the OVP in animal farm fashion, privacy good for OVP and bad for you!!
P J Evans wrote on June 26, 2007 4:51 PM:Jeebus....
And they complain about *Democrats*.
(I can tell you none of them grew up in a security-conscious environment.)
Fire those who can be fired, and impeach the clowns at the top.
Erik wrote on June 26, 2007 4:52 PM:Just remember... Rules are for Democrats! Republicans are far to important to be bothered with obeying laws.
Billy Pilgrim wrote on June 26, 2007 5:03 PM:Interesting. The members of the 9/11 Commission, investigating the most serious attack on U.S. soil in history, were barred access to the relevant documents.
The report from the 9/11 Commision was a whitewash and it is time to reopen that investigation.
EH wrote on June 26, 2007 5:04 PM:Uh, well Cheney is on all kinds of drugs for his bum ticker, right? I'd forget a lot of things too if I was that chemically altered.
jeffgee wrote on June 26, 2007 5:05 PM:Incompetent fascists. The CYA. Nobody can say "oh, they ALL do it" anymore. This idiocy plus the WaPo series shows how truly dangerous to our democracy the DickTater is. His redefinition of his office is the new definition of "is". Ridiculous.
dee illuminati wrote on June 26, 2007 5:29 PM:"Now, do I think that they've been handling intelligence with due care and respect? Yes, you bet," said White House spokesman Tony Snow.
Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., sponsor of the amendment, noted that five years ago Cheney claimed executive privilege in refusing to release details about his meetings with oil industry executives to discuss energy policy.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Walker+v.+Cheney&btnG=Google+Search
What is really happening is that the people with access to classified information is obscured by the destruction of visitor records logs, and then Cheney states: Well if it was said and I don't like the info I retro-actively classiy the information, and if I leaked it IO declassify it!
I guess Casino Jack could buy the most important secrets in town or just about any other 'foreign interest' if somebody in the OVP was inclined at that moment to make the sale for political expediency or material gain.
code word: nation, as this is more than politics, it is national security and how that should be set by concensus and not fiat.
Books Alive wrote on June 26, 2007 5:49 PM:Knodell has testified before a House committee, I'm sure, but it escapes my mind as to the topic of the day. I'm certain he made a poor impression, however.
libra wrote on June 26, 2007 5:50 PM:All those years that Dems were in exile, Waxman has been, quietly, collecting all kinds of info on the b****ds, in hopes that, one day, it'll become useful. Now, he's like a dog let off a leash. The man is worth his weight in gold.
dksbook wrote on June 26, 2007 5:53 PM:About the only people who don't have access to governmental information are ordinary citizens - you know, the ones who vote and pay taxes.
foolme1ns wrote on June 26, 2007 7:10 PM:And still the occupation of OUR White House continues, unabated. Cheney has overthrown OUR government and set up a mafioso one of his own.
We continue under the occupation of the demon emperor.
Duckman GR wrote on June 26, 2007 8:14 PM:They've pitched fits over Congress looking at classified documents for all sorts of reasons, mainly so Congress wouldn't look at classified documents, of course, and so how specious and mendatious the words and actions of the White House are.
Time to proclaim that the grown-ups haven't been in charge since Clinton left the White House, and he wasn't always the most mature either, but this immaturity really needs to be pounded. They probably got pizza and burger stains on those documents too.
Christ, we know what these felons and greedy fools are all about, the Democrats really need to pound the rest of the nation with what they are til something sticks.
Anonymous wrote on June 26, 2007 8:17 PM:"...over half of the staff of the White House Security Office -- which is charged with protecting secrecy guidelines alongside the Archives' Information Security Oversight Office -- have quit over the last year."
Hmmm, so who did Dick "less" Cheney hire to replace these people? Did he outsource the staffing of the White House Security Office to Blackwater? Buster Cattles...er, Custer Battles?
Oh, wait, we'll probably never know since Cheney does everything in secret, while all we get to see is the outward signs of his totally screwing our democracy. What a sad, pathetic, little man Dick Cheney really is.
Thomas wrote on June 26, 2007 9:42 PM:Fuck yeah. We need to put the Clintons back in the WH so that this kind of incompetence comes to an end. Let's put a real pro--Craig Livingstone--back in charge. He knew how to handle confidential information like FBI files, if you know what I mean.
johnnydoughey wrote on June 26, 2007 9:43 PM:Lets see...
The administration is not capable of keeping top secret information secure... or secret
The administration does not allow attornies for accused terrorists any information concerning their accusations
I guess this is what you'd call an even swap...
Nancy Irving wrote on June 27, 2007 3:54 AM:Knodell & Greeson are political appointees, I gather?
Gregory X wrote on June 27, 2007 9:49 AM:Classified information left on desktops? Now that's what I call a neocon paradise. I wonder how much of this sloppiness was deliberate and how many national security secrets found their way into the hands of the Israelis as a result.
Jim wrote on June 27, 2007 11:34 AM:Is this the reason the VP and the Chimp are so afraid of an audit?
This administration makes the Keystone Cops look good!
Dave wrote on July 26, 2007 1:39 PM:Also, see security breaches at the Department of Homeleand Security.