Sandy Berger $50k fine and loses security clearance!

[Joeaksa]

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20050908-1121-bergersentenced.html

11:21 a.m. September 8, 2005

WASHINGTON – A judge on Thursday ordered Sandy Berger, President Clinton's national security adviser, to pay a $50,000 fine for illegally taking classified documents from the National Archives.
The punishment handed down by U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson exceeded 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.

"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.

Earlier in the hearing, Berger expressed remorse for his crime, which he described as a lapse of judgment that came while he was preparing to testify before the Sept. 11 commission.

"I let considerations of personal convenience override clear rules of handling classified material," Berger said. "I believe this lapse, serious as it is, does not reflect the character of myself."

"In this case, I failed. I will not again," he said.

The sentencing capped a bizarre sequence of events in which Berger admitted to sneaking classified documents out of the Archives in his suit, later destroying some of them in his office and then lying about it.

After initially saying it was an "honest mistake," Berger 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.

[gaijindabe]

Originally posted by Joeaksa
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20050908-1121-bergersentenced.html

"In this case, I failed. I will not again," he said.

You know what. This guy will be back. That is the real sad part. Two or three years, a teaching post, a book or two and this yutz will be back on Sunday morning chat shows.

The man was stealing classified documents, part of a permanent archive and he got caught. I know a guy now doing 30 days for providing false ID. Where is the justice? How can Berger get off with this paltry fine?

[bryanthompson]

Anyone want to wager $$ that he becomes a Harvard professor?

[Joeaksa]

Originally posted by gaijindabe
You know what. This guy will be back. That is the real sad part. Two or three years, a teaching post, a book or two and this yutz will be back on Sunday morning chat shows.

The man was stealing classified documents, part of a permanent archive and he got caught. I know a guy now doing 30 days for providing false ID. Where is the justice? How can Berger get off with this paltry fine?

The sad part is that you are correct. He will be back lining his underwear with classified documents when another Democrat is elected and brings him back into the fold.

Totally agree and the guy should have gone to jail, a year at least. Anyone else (without connections, which saved his A$$ in this case) would have done time without a question.

Joe A

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally posted by Joeaksa

Totally agree and the guy should have gone to jail, a year at least. Anyone else (without connections, which saved his A$$ in this case) would have done time without a question.

Joe A

At least a year? A guy steals classified documents, destroys some, lies about it, and you think he should only go to jail for a year or so?

He should be in jail for 10 years on treason charges IMHO.

Politicians, people with connections get by waaaaay too easily these days. He'll probably eat better in his "prison" than I will in hte next year.

the government only wanted him fined $10K back in April. The judge upped it to $50K due to the seriousness of the crime. I would have rather had no $ penalty, just a long time to think about what he did.

[island911]

Wha . .the . ..

Alright; who hacked into Shauns pelican account?

[Joeaksa]

Originally posted by island911
Wha . .the . ..

Alright; who hacked into Shauns pelican account?

Now you have me laughing! Was wondering the same thing!

Do agree and he deserved hard time. Anyone else would have gotten time and he would have as well without his political connections...

JoeA

[Seahawk]

I feel like I'm in a parallel universe...

You are all right: No grey areas here, move along.

[Mulhollanddose]

Originally posted by Joeaksa
Do agree and he deserved hard time. Anyone else would have gotten time and he would have as well without his political connections...

True Joe, for much much less...

Howard Harner, of Staunton, Virginia, pled guilty on May 27 to pilfering documents from the National Archives — approximately 100 letters from Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and other historical figures. He then sold the letters, stolen over a six-year period, through Ebay and various auctions for a nifty profit. Harner, who promised to help investigators track down the letters, will spend the next two years in prison for this crime in addition to paying a $10,000 fine.

“This sentence sends a very clear signal that theft of cultural property?will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Archivist Allen Weinsten, after the sentence was announced.
Fair enough.

NationalLedger

[Erakad]

Let's see, Martha Stewart makes a couple grand on an illegal stock transfer and gets 6 months in jail. He steals classified documents damaging to our national security and gets fined a couple grand and walks, but will (undoubtedly) make many thousands back. She's made an "example", and him??? Sigh, where was the judge that should have made an example of him??

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally posted by island911
Wha . .the . ..

Alright; who hacked into Shauns pelican account?

I feel so misunderstood. sniff

OK, clearly I am either half the creative writing genius I think I am here trying to get my political viewpoints across and maybe make a few people think, or I should stick to playing with "little girl's clothes." Is that the quote of choice?

Anyway, of course this guy should be fried!!! Jesus Christ he was convicted of crimes that have the potential, if not outright direct proof of harming our national security.

Yay or nay, would you like a synopsis of my socio-political agenda? I've been putting together a platform to run for low level political office in about 5 years, real goal is bush's job (no, not brush cutting) in 25 years. Perhaps it will help you understand where I am coming from in some of my posts. And, yes, I am this vain.

[techweenie]

Originally posted by Erakad
Let's see, Martha Stewart makes a couple grand on an illegal stock transfer and gets 6 months in jail. He steals classified documents damaging to our national security and gets fined a couple grand and walks, but will (undoubtedly) make many thousands back. She's made an "example", and him??? Sigh, where was the judge that should have made an example of him??

He took copies of documents that he had security clearance to look at. They were not valuable to foreign governments, and he wasn't a spy. Just a doofus.

I agree, Martha was singled out, bigtime. Funny thing, though, if she hadn't sold out, she'd have been many tens of thousands ahead. Her crime was lying about it.

And speaking of appropriate punishments, what's Ken Lay doing these days?

[fintstone]

Originally posted by island911
Wha . .the . ..

Alright; who hacked into Shauns pelican account?

I must have read that 20 times...looking for the angle.

I agree with Shaun.

[fintstone]

Originally posted by techweenie
He took copies of documents that he had security clearance to look at. They were not valuable to foreign governments, and he wasn't a spy. Just a doofus.

.....

And speaking of appropriate punishments, what's Ken Lay doing these days?

If you know exactly what he took....you must have been with him...cause no one else does.

As far as Ken Lay...I don't know where he is these days...since the current administration closed the Lincoln Bedroom Bed and Breakfast when they took office..

[Mulhollanddose]

Here is Dan Rather's commentary from back in 2004, when the story first broke...

DAN RATHER: "Sandy Berger, who was national security adviser under President Clinton, stepped aside today as an adviser to Senator John Kerry. CBS's John Roberts reports this was triggered by a carefully orchestrated leak about Berger, and the timing of it appears to be no coincidence."


Get that, "this was triggered by a carefully orchestrated leak about Berger"....The freakin nerve of the leftist media, the intentional distortions, how long has this been going on??...How much of common belief is a manipulated perception??...It is more than obvious that Dan Rather and cBS were spinning for the Clinton Administration...If the MSM were simply objective in their reporting (meaning not a propaganda arm of the DNC) Clinton would have been impeached (obstruction of justice) and Kerry would have lost by a massive landslide.