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State Won't Release Names of Contractors... Just Cuz
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) wants to know why the State Department won't release the names of the contractors whose employees looked at Barack Obama's passport file.
The answer, it seems, is that there's an investigation going on, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Sean McCormack said last night: "there's an investigation aspect to this so we want that to be able to proceed in as clear a manner as it possibly can." During today's briefing, he indicated that might change -- at least, they'll "take a look at it":
Question: OK. And another question: Can you name the two companies or contractors that these people -- that the three people worked for?McCormack: At this point we're not prepared to release the name of the contractors. There could be a point here at which we will. There's been a request in from the Hill for that information, along with a lot of other information. So we'll take a look at that.
At the moment, I'm not prepared to provide that. But we'll take a look at it.
Question: Why are you not naming the companies? It's a public contract.
McCormack: Yes. No. Look, it's a legitimate question. We're taking a look at it.
I think that at this point we've just started an investigation. We want to err on the side of caution and allow investigators to get a start without some of the attention that comes with talking about the names of the contractors.
We'll see. It's something that we're taking under advisement. But at this point in time, we're not going to talk about it.
Comments (13)
They are obviously working hard to protect the contractors' right to privacy. lol
March 21, 2008 1:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Are these people being paid with public money? Is it a public contract? This administration needs a frontal labotomy to eliminate paranoia. Their abject failure to provide answers for ANYTHING should have been enough to impeach, charge with lying to congress, charge with contempt and any other procecutorial criminal act they have committed. We have a band of miscreants devoted to malfeasance in office.
March 21, 2008 1:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Perhaps if TPM has a trainee, they can access the names? Just as a training exercise, of course.
March 21, 2008 1:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
why don't we waterboard one of them...after all it is legal now.
March 21, 2008 1:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Any bets that the Secret Service has the names right
now and are conducting interviews?
I work with technology and what I don't get is why the warning note that pops up when you try to access
these records does not include asking for a supervisors ssn/permission. I also don't understand why the notification for accessing these records(the vip records) does not go up to the security chief or someone in upper management or law enforcement.
March 21, 2008 1:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
I detect a common theme here, one that's been going on since Bush got into office:
Incidents of complete and utter incompetence, followed by coverups - every single time.
Anything that Bush has fucked up on - be it Plame, the reasoning for Iraq, USA scandal, 9/11, now Passportgate - to name a few - they've orchestrated massive coverups or diversions to try and deflect responsbibility for their own criminal stupidity. This will be the legacy of the Bush administration - one where they were so stupid that they spent the whole time gutting the law in order to cover their own asses because they were never qualified to hold the office to begin with. A lesson to the future about what politicization and partisan politics inexorably reaps.
March 21, 2008 2:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
The only way to diffuse this is to release the names, and let the chips fall.
Maybe there is nothing there, though "firing offense" seems an incomplete reolution to this level of snooping, whatever the reason.
But this is some serious bidness. And I hope someone makes the connection to this and the caretakership of the ongoing copy of the internet and phone network that the govt has assembled in unwarranted data-mining for 6 years. It's hard to believe more than passport records weren't pulled.
Follow the money. I predict that we will be left with the same unfulfilled state of staring gape-jawed at gross and perilous incompetence. It is the secondary feature of Chimpy McWar Co. Number one is the dollar, er wait, the euro.
Pax,
M.
March 21, 2008 2:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gee, why wouldn't the names of the contractors be released??
Hmm... lemme think....
Maybe so the 'contractors' can toss out their hard drives, shred all the evidence and send the people likely to be investigated to "Testimony School"?
March 21, 2008 2:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Since they will take forever to release names...the questions that should be asked are...
Did they access the files while they were at the State Dept or were they at home?
Who determines security clearence for contract employees?
March 21, 2008 2:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here's a lead:
The passport acceptance agents at these facilities are responsible for, among other things, verifying whether an applicant’s identification document (such as a driver’s license) actually matches thatapplicant. Applications go to a passport office to be examined after their.... processed by a State Department contractor, Mellon Bank, in Pennsylvania.
From a GAO report.
March 21, 2008 2:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
It appears as though CitiGroup/CitiBank could be the culprit here:
http://redtape.msnbc.com/2007/06/citigroup_worke.html
March 21, 2008 4:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
AP is saying it's Stanley Inc, based in Arlington
March 21, 2008 4:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Let's compare a bit--
The FBI has a contractor that access some data inappropriately... Name and company are discussed openly in the article immediately. Same true for TSA when that happened there. Remember those lost laptops? names and companies discussed immediately there too. Strange that this is not getting the same play. Especially when people are screaming for the info that is usually offered up. Contractors get tossed under the bus every day, usually for things more defensible than this.
So State has 3 contractors that reviewed data, from 2 companies, that tripped a sensor... all of a sudden? And State reps won't say who it is? Sounds to me like they need to erase more than a hard drive. Memories of contractors when subpoenaed can be very clear, since they don't have the same issues of government workers regarding insubordination, federal consciences, etc., It seems a remarkable coincidence.
Perhaps more likely (to go conspiracy theory for a moment) that someone told someone to check out his passport history. The contractors did so, not knowing the "celebrity policy" that both State and IRS maintain for personal records. They get tripped up, but are happy to say who instructed them. Whoops!
March 21, 2008 8:11 PM | Reply | Permalink