Tex the Pontificator

Instapundit gives detail on Berger's conduct, which makes it impossible to give any credence to the inadvertence "defense," to the extent it is a defense.  He also reprints the following reader email and makes a comment:

I work with classified documents and while it is true that violations of procedure are not uncommon, it is extremely rare, at least in my corner of the world, to see something like this. I can't even take a briefcase into the unclassified reading room at the National Archives, yet Berger is stuffing classified documents into a leather bag?! I know that the Clinton people were famous (infamous?) for lax document security, but I have trouble imagining that a former NSA can be this incompetent. Samuel L. Morison spent over a year in Federal prison for sending classified satellite photos of a Soviet carrier under construction to Jane's Defense Weekly and I don't see how what he did is any worse that what Berger has done.

I've gotten a lot of emails along these lines from federal employees who work with classified documents. It would be interesting to see a news story interviewing some people like that, and looking at what happens to worker-bee types who violate security this way.

Indeed. It would be interesting. But what mainstream news organization would do that? Probably none.

To reply, email texthepontificator at yahoo.com.

Labels: Papers in Your Pants