You've really got to be kidding me. Really.
The White House said Wednesday it had mishandled Republican Party-sponsored e-mail accounts used by nearly two dozen presidential aides, resulting in the loss of an undetermined number of e-mails concerning official White House business.
Congressional investigators looking into the administration's firing of eight federal prosecutors already had the nongovernmental e-mail accounts in their sights because some White House aides used them to help plan the U.S. attorneys' ouster. Democrats were questioning whether the use of the GOP-provided e-mail accounts was proof that the firings were political.Democrats also have been asking if White House officials are purposely conducting sensitive official presidential business via nongovernmental accounts to get around a law requiring preservation -- and eventual disclosure -- of presidential records. The announcement of the lost e-mails -- a rare admission of error from the Bush White House at a delicate time for the administration's relations with Democratically controlled Capitol Hill -- gave new fodder for inquiry on this front.
The Republican National Committee set up the accounts for about 20 Bush aides, such as Karl Rove and his deputies, who get involved in politics, spokesman Scott Stanzel said. Having the GOP create non-White House addresses and provide separate BlackBerries, laptops and other communications gear was designed to avoid running afoul of Hatch Act rules barring federal employees from engaging in political activities with government resources or on government time, he said.
Under President Clinton, White House aides used separate equipment for political spadework but did not have separate accounts.
"This is entirely appropriate," Stanzel said of the Bush White House practice.
He said staffers used their RNC accounts instead of White House accounts to discuss the prosecutor issue or conduct other official business for several reasons, including extra caution about complying with the Hatch Act as well as the convenience of using one account instead of several. Stanzel said he could not speak to whether anyone was intentionally trying to avoid White House archiving because he had not spoken to all those involved.
Stanzel said some e-mails have been lost because the White House lacked clear policies on complying with Presidential Records Act requirements.Before 2004, for instance, e-mails to and from the accounts were typically automatically deleted every 30 days along with all other RNC e-mails. Even though that was changed in 2004, so that the White House staffers with those accounts were excluded from the RNC's automatic deletion policy, some of their e-mails were lost anyway when individual aides deleted their own files, Stanzel said.
Do they really think we're this stupid? That "some of their e-mails were lost anyway when individual aides deleted their own files," and that there's no other way the mail can be retrieved? Really?
And that bit about the Hatch Act is priceless. They used outside emails to talk about official White House business because they didn't want to break a law that said you couldn't conduct campaign work while on the clock. Uh huh. And I suppose they have a bridge they are trying to sell me, too?
What, do they think we can't read? Here, for those who don't immediately recall it, is an excerpt from an email between Susan Ralston, Karl Rove's former assistant, and now disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff:
“I now have an RNC blackberry which you can use to e-mail me at any time. No security issues like my WH email.”
So what? The "security issue" she was concerned about was the Hatch Act? Uh huh. Right.
And I just love the continued use of the "Clinton did it, too!" excuse. Remember when Republicans thought he was some sort of son of Satan?
Seriously. How dumb do they think we are?
I'm with Josh. This seems like a perfect opportunity for us to see what that "terrorist surveillance program" can really do.
And last but not least, one serious thought. Bring them in, get them under oath, and make them answer the questions. If ever there was something to use as leverage to force the president's hand, this is it.
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