White House told to provide e-mail info

[sabra]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON - A federal magistrate ordered the White House on Tuesday to reveal whether copies of possibly millions of missing e-mails are stored on computer backup tapes.

The order by U.S. Magistrate Judge John Facciola comes amid an effort by the White House to scuttle two lawsuits that could force the Executive Office of the President to recover any e-mail that has disappeared from computer servers where electronic documents are automatically archived.

...

Facciola gave the White House five business days to report whether computer backup tapes contain e-mails written between 2003 and 2005.

The time period covers the Valerie Plame affair in which at least three presidential aides were found to have leaked Plame's CIA identity to the news media.

...

In a four-page order, Facciola said he needs to know "if the missing e-mails are not on those back-ups."

Facciola noted the importance of acting quickly since e-mails that might be retrievable from individual computer workstations in the White House "are increasingly likely to be deleted or overwritten with the passage of time."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080108/ap_on_go_pr_wh/white_house_e_mail_1

[babylonsister]

1. Hmmm. Stonewalling # 4872 on the way, I suspect. nt

[rox63]

2. It'll take a lot less than 5 days to destroy those backup tapes n/t

[Maeve]

3. Good luck with that one, Yer Honor! Nice of ya to try, tho...eom

[Botany]

4. As legal consul to the White House, I would like to suggest to the Court ...

..... that we support the rule of law and justice but .... You have to be kidding
your Honor .... Hell, Dick Cheney had Enron and his energy buddies write our
national energy policy and we split up Iraqi oil fields and told the world to fuck off
and you think we are going to follow your ruling.

[rodeodance]

5. let a geek get to them---that will solve all problems

[acmavm]

8. Crap, pay the Chinese. They're hacking into all the government's

shit anyway.

[rodeodance]

6. "are increasingly likely to be deleted or overwritten with the passage of time."

[progressoid]

7. ayup...

:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:

[Solly Mack]

9. I thought I heard laughter

[truthisfreedom]

10. Yeah, right. Like there's any chance in hell there's any accountability at the WH.

It's amazing, isn't it?

[micraphone]

11. Pardon my ignorance but...

Can a judge order a 3rd party (i.e. a geek!) to go in there and actually LOOK for these messages?

There must be many propellor heads in service with the necessary clearances.

[lonestarnot]

19. Absolutely in some form or fashion.

[micraphone]

20. Thank you, lonestarnot.

That being the case, the judge (who appears to be a Clinton appointment) has something concrete to threaten after the five days are, no doubt, up.

Then we'll hear about the extent of the fire in the closet which killed all the WH backup servers I guess.

[IDemo]

12. "Yer Honor, those tapes were destroyed in a fire. Heh. Meh heh. Ha ha ha."

[bluesmail]

13. remember that fire we had

in the VP's exec offices....?

[gratuitous]

14. "Ya got five days"

Or else what?

Is a magistrate judge going to have the judicial fortitude to hold the White House in contempt and start tossing people in the clink? I rather think not.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

15. Oh darn it! Those backup tapes were in Chaney's office!

Ain't that a shame?

[superconnected]

16. I doubt he'll get far. Secrecy is the realm of tyrants. Thats dick and dumbshits middle name.

[RuleOfNah]

17. Compel TIA?

The countrytap should have captured those emails, why not get copies from the tappers? The regime is demanding grandfathered immunity from prosecution for illegal wiretapping of the entire country. The regime is trying to use a 'dog ate my' excuse for deleted emails that are evidence of serious crimes (see investigation of investigator investigating Rove and Sibel Edmonds bombshell).

Missing emails & complete surveillance at the same time by the same regime. How much more scandalous gravity is required before people start talking about the elephants in the room?

:popcorn:

[Deny and Shred]

18. Aren't these emails still under subpoena?

Didn't Waxman call for them in the spring?
If this judge thinks these computers could be evidence,is there any chain of custody over them? Or just the patented Bush /Cheney promise that they'll be good boys and not tamper with them.
Since they destroyed the original messages, how about a warrant there, Judge?
Beyond the 'National Embarrassment' that serving a warrant on the White House would cause, is anyone aware of statutes as to why this can't be done?

[lonestarnot]

21. I believe that is called time management.