Boston.com / News / Nation / Infiltration of files seen as extensive

By Charlie Savage, Globe Staff, 1/22/2004
WASHINGTON — Republican staff members of the US Senate Judiciary Commitee infiltrated opposition computer files for a year, monitoring secret strategy memos and periodically passing on copies to the media, Senate officials told The Globe.

From the spring of 2002 until at least April 2003, members of the GOP committee staff exploited a computer glitch that allowed them to access restricted Democratic communications without a password. …

[T]he scandal highlights GOP dirty tricks that could result in ethics complaints to the Senate and the Washington Bar — or even criminal charges under computer intrusion laws. …

After the contents of those memos were made public in The Wall Street Journal editorial pages and The Washington Times, Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch, Republican of Utah, made a preliminary inquiry and described himself as “mortified that this improper, unethical and simply unacceptable breach of confidential files may have occurred on my watch.”

Hatch also confirmed that “at least one current member of the Judiciary Committee staff had improperly accessed at least some of the documents referenced in media reports.”

No one should be surprised that zealous Republicans will spy and steal — that’s becoming two of the planks of the GOP. I almost feel sorry for Hatch, who might have a trace of decency. More shocking is the blasé way one of the criminal-staffers brushes this off. And note the role of Robert Novak, who helped the White House betray a CIA agent. mjh