A few more details about the Obama passport breach. According to a new piece out in the Post from Glenn Kessler, the breaches occurred Jan. 9th, Feb. 21st and March 14th.
That would be the day after the New Hampshire primary, the day of the Democratic debate in Texas and the day the Wright story really hit.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is set to endorse Barack Obama today at a campaign event in Portland, Oregon.
Just curious, but who’s the Bill Richardson impersonator CNN used for this Obama/Richardson montage?
We’re not jumping to any conclusions that this Obama/passport incident is anything more than a case of “imprudent curiosity”, as State Department spokesman Sean McCormack put it, on the part of some State Department contract workers. But why isn’t State releasing the names of the contract employees responsible for the breach? These two employees were fired for cause and probably violated federal laws. So what privacy rights do they have exactly?
Second, why is this only being handle at the State IG level? Remember, at the moment, there is no State IG, hasn’t been since Cookie Krongard had to resign over his Blackwater conflict of interest. And now that the two have been canned, the IG’s office cannot compel them to cooperate.
But again, why don’t we have those names?
Just a case of three bored cube rats scoping out a celebrity presidential candidate’s passport records — or something more sinister?
Steve Clemons, on McCain’s rejection of Nixonian approaches to enlightened American self-interest in the world in favor of neoconservative-inspired interventionism.
CNN reporting that Clinton campaign will receive briefing from State Department today on a security breach involving her passport records.
The revelation came in a call this morning from Secretary of State Condi Rice to Clinton’s Senate office, according to CNN.
Apparently, this breach occurred in 2007. The Obama breaches reported last night occurred in 2008.
Rep. Henry Waxman is on the case, and he wants the names of the contractors involved. He’s sent a letter to Rice, which we have here.
MJ Rosenberg on Charles Krauthammer’s paranoia, race-hatred and other fun topics.
From Reuters:
The passport files of presidential candidates Sen. Hillary Clinton, a Democrat, and Sen. John McCain, a Republican, were improperly accessed by State Department workers, a U.S. official said on Friday.
The official, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, declined further comment.
The State Department is giving a press briefing on these breaches now. Paul Kiel has some of the details.
We’ll have video soon.