[UPDATES] Hillary Clinton’s Passport Breached in 2007; Larry Johnson on AC360 re Obama/Passport Non-Crisis
By SusanUnPC on March 21, 2008 at 11:55 AM in Barack Obama, Larry Johnson, State Department
UPDATE: (From Larry Johnson) Just got off the phone with an old boss and friend who had been a senior official in the Passport office. … SEE THE REST OF LARRY’s 12:30 p.m. Friday update at the end of this story.
(Earlier) BREAKING: Hillary Clinton’s passport was breached in 2007, CNN reports. Adds Mark Halperin at Time’s blog, The Page:
Clinton Senate office statement says candidate had been contacted by Rice to say her passport file was breached in 2007.
NBC News also says they’ve confirmed McCain’s has been breached as well.
[And Fox News adds that Bill Clinton's was breached in 1992 when he was a presidential candidate.]
BELOW: Video and Larry’s remarks last evening here regarding his appearance on CNN’s AC360:
(From Larry Johnson)–Folks, this is really a non-story. If high level political appointees were involved then one could make the case that someone was up to something unsavory. But you have two low level contractors and different points in time. The State Department will probably have to do an official investigation to demonstrate they were not acting on behalf of a candidate. However, they were fired when their bosses at State discovered they had been snooping.
But what could they find: Apart from his Social Security Number, all other information on the passport application is already public by virtue of Barack’s books and what has been written about him during his presidential campaign. Here’s the application. Look at it for your self. I am assuming he had a passport as very young child by virtue of his travel to Indonesia. So there may be some unflattering passport photos. But otherwise, he has not been a globetrotter. We know he has not visited Europe. His only real overseas travel before joining the Senate was to Africa. And the passport records do not contain info about that trip, other than the date he made the trip. People with no need to know should not have been checking out his documents, but at the end of the day there is no there there.
(Hat tip to CS for getting me the youtube version of my chat with Anderson Cooper. Great work as always.)
:::::::::::::::
UPDATE at 12:30 P.M. FRIDAY: (From Larry Johnson) Just got off the phone with an old boss and friend who had been a senior official in the Passport office. The sneak peeks at the files of Obama and McCain have no parallel with what was done in the Bill Clinton case. With Bill Clinton, senior political appointees helped direct an effort centered in London to produce data about Clinton’s activities in England when he was a student. They found nothing.
I have confirmed what I opined last night–the unauthorized activity was detected early on and the people who were trolling on Obama’s file were detected and fired. The problem was that the officials who detected this activity did not realize that they needed to inform their superiors. They did not understand that this was politically sensitive. However, when the investigation is done it will be demonstrated that the safeguards in place to detect unauthorized access worked and the offenders were punished.
And to repeat for the umpteenth time, the only information in Obama’s passport file that is not public is his complete Social Security number. The faux outrage about his privacy being violated is ridiculous. No information was released and the unauthorized access was detected and punished. Obama’s troops are fanning these flames in hopes of diverting attention from his Uncle Jeremiah issue. Ahh, politics.
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+ ALL 
Larry was great, he always is. I have the TV on, they are reporting on CNN now that C. Rice has reported to Sen. Clinton that her passport files were also breached in 2007. I’m sure that this will completely shut down reporting on it, since it happened to Sen. Clinton too. It was an outrage when it happened to BO!! It happened to Clinton too? Move along, move along…
Some people just can’t resist being nosy. I seriously doubt whoever was doing this actually knew what they were doing, they would have known that it would set off a system that would have come back to them. If they had been genuinely doing something beyond being nosy, i.e., professional snoopers, they would have likely known about the safeguards. If they had been professional snoopers or up to something nefarious, they probably would have known what little information this snooping would have gotten them.
I work at a place where by law, certain information cannot be disclosed to outside parties by state law, there is a hefty fine attached to violation. Grounds for dismissal to do certain things that are really just plain none of anyone’s business, unless directly working on the case, but people get do this stuff and get fired for it just because they are curious or nosy.
On the other hand, as Larry said, given the incompetence of this administration, it’s a possibility that they are that incompetent and idiotic.
It’s starting to look, or smell, like a red herring, or a straw man, isn’t it?
Funny, though, the report about Gaddafi.
He’s starting to look a bit like Michael Jackson, isn’t he?
ROFL, good thing my bladder is empty, I’m laughing so hard…
All three remaining candidates have had their passport files breached. That’s both parties. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear later down line that the also-rans had theirs breached.
So much for a GOP conspiracy. If anything other than nosy civil employees - too low on the totem pole to be hired by GWB - it could be journalists offering payment to the civil workers while fishing, fishing, fishing for something.
It will all come out, but the problem is that it took so long to work up the information chain.
The low levels are contracted by govt, so there is no accountability. Bill Clinton dealt with this, and now all 3 candidates.
http://poligazette.com/2008/03/21/obamas-church-and-hamas-sitting-in-a-tree/
WHOA! This is really much, much worse in my opinion than the other remarks that Wright, especially in terms of the Jewish vote. I think I read something the other day that 70 of the unpledged super delegates are Jewish. The BO campaign definitely doesn’t want this to get out.
As part of my work, I do research.
I would not be surprised to one day get a visit from some agency or another. I have found myself staring at sensitive material which is emblazoned with warnings against dissemination and breach of privacy.
But which smart employee scans and publishes such information on a public server?
I’ve learned there is no such thing as anonymity or privacy today and to behave accordingly.
I agree this is a diversion. I think they may be a little miffed that they have had to use one of their aces in the hole.
The Clintons are such seasoned politicians that they do this seamlessly. I point to Hillary’s archives. They know what is there. Having Obama go on for months demanding their release made it look ominous.
To have 11,000 pages come out on the heels of Obama’s worst week, was a stroke of political genius. That they have found a hard working, globe trotting First Lady.
This makes Obama look even more empty and he is back to “she voted for the war” meme.
You make me want to vomit.
The national archives handle,collate, redact, and release this info. You are offensive and incorrect on the facts.
Trolls not wanted here.
what are you talking about norrismorris? did you just flip a switch?
I suggest you do your research in the toilet. Go to Google and they’ll let you see just how,who, and when this is released, and who redacts info and WHY.
You’re full of shit. All of this info is out there. God help anyone who thinks you can do research.
Hey how did you know? I do research everywhere.
I do research. A lot. Some of it private, some of it corporate.
I support Hillary because she and Bill are the best our country can hope for in this election.
But I am clear they are politicians. Very good ones. That is part of why I like them.
Bill has been out of office for how long? They both still have very strong ties in powerful places.
Do I believe it impossible for friends of Hill to time the release of her records to maximize her advantage?
What do you think?
My point is that the release of records is also a tactic used. It is said that timing is important in politics.
A variation of the Goldie Locks parable, not too early, not too late … not to little, not too much … always at the right time.
Obama has been showing that he does not appreciate or perhaps he may be naively thinking his charm is all that is needed.
Like bringing a balloon (his ego) to a dart tournament.
One would hope that this will put enough egg on Obama’s campaign that they’ll quit with the quick accusations. But as long as the media loves to see a fight and yearns for Obama to give her a knock out blow and confirm that she has WMD (a really bad character) they’ll keep reporting, and they’ll continue to tarnish a fine candidate. But, hey, it sells erectile dysfunction medicine, how can that be bad?
TPM is now pointing out Hillary’s was breached last year, but Obama’s are during the current primary season, so (hint, hint, okie-dokie) you-know-who may still have been behind it.
I sent Josh some money way back when. I wonder if it’s too late to get a refund?
a little off topic so sorry,
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0308/Jeremiah_Wright_was_White_House_guest.html
I probably wouldn’t push the “Obama’s preacher is the devil, thus Obama must be the devils advocate” too hard. Both parties have problems with preachers who use inflammatory or hateful rhetoric. It is not the candidates fault what someone ( who isn’t them says)…It is only a problem WHEN and IF they endorse such foolish statements. This is why separation of church and state must be adhered to .What happens when you use God as a running mate? you alienate. There are too many competing religions to have it infused into our politics. we ALL lose every time as we ALL have for the last 8 years with this self proclaimed Christian leader who has gotten more people killed than any atheist on the planet.
Come on November!!!!!
Hillary or Obama.
ADMIN WARNING: Post these items in related stories, such as the numerous stories below about Wright. Or post them in Open Threads. Do not post them in unrelated stories.
And yet, I will not be surprised if Larry King gives Barack another hour of air time, based on this perceived injustice. And surely Keith Obamaman will countdown the ways in which this is a crime against Barack, while Hillary Clinton is somehow to blame.
Larry,Susan,
notice how the mainstream media are all over themselves to make sure that our attentions are drawn away from serious law violations by the mccain camp with their yesterday brit foreign money campaign luncheon, mccain’s links to airbus eads, lord rothschild who sponsored yesterday’s mccain luncheon in london has direct ties to airbus eads. the air force contract is mega bucks to the tune of $100 billion of taxpayer dollars, not including slush and other under the table offshoots.
when stuff is really going on, notice how the msm panics and produces non-stories such as the passport file nonsense.
So, what you are Hillary breached her own passport file? Because we all know Hillary did it! KOS said so.
Notice the difference between the calm manner in which Hillary’s campiagn responded to this issue and the faux outrage with which Obama’s campiagn responded.
Obama keeps confirming that he is not ready for the big leagues.
Obama loves smoke. Smoke obscures things. And Obama thrives when the facts are obscured.
A great video from Marc Ambinder comparing Obama’s words on Wright to his words on Don Imus.
http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/03/the_latest_antiobama_video_cir.php
I’ve seen that Hillary was advised of the breach of her passport file in 2007, and advised of the circumstances of same. We didn’t see her making a big deal out of it then, nor now, as she is all about substance and gravitas, and she doesnt need to create smoke and mirrors.
I would assert that the number of stamps in Senator Clintons passport in comparison to Sen Obama is night and day…
Obama on Lary King had the temerity to say he was on the Foreign Affairs Committe. For which, he has never had use for his passport.
Hell, he barely even needed his Senate parking pass for that committee.
Poor Larry.
He was pathetic beyond pale. They ought to give Hillary equal time to speechify, cause that’s all BO did. Not one single question from the public or did I blink my eye and miss it?