White House E-mails

March 28, 2000

During the Nixon administration, the revelation of an 18-and-a-half minute gap in a tape of the White House sent shock waves throughout the Washington press corps. However, a gap of more than 100,000 White House e-mails hasn’t generated the same shock and concern. But it should.

A few weeks ago, I talked about the growing evidence that the Clinton administration attempted to hide from Congress and Kenneth Starr incriminating White House e-mail messages. The e-mail messages were hidden by a software glitch when the White House computers were initially searched in response to congressional and independent counsel subpoenas. Sheryl Hall, a onetime head of computer operations in the Clinton White House, says that when the glitch was discovered, Clinton administration officials conspired to prevent Congress from receiving White House e-mails during the two-year period from 1996 to 1998.

A federal judge ordered the White House to find and deliver those potentially incriminating e-mails. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth warned a Justice Department lawyer not to tamper with or destroy any documents that may be found. During the hearing, Judge Lamberth said, “The White House has had dealings with me before. I know the names of the people who can be hung, and they know I will hang them.” Pretty strong words from a federal judge.

At the time of writing this commentary, the White House had not complied with the order. Perhaps they will by the time this commentary airs, but I’m not holding my breath.

Meanwhile, five Northrop Grumman employees who worked in the technical-support contract for White House computers have told congressional investigators that White House Political appointees threatened to send them to a "jail cell" if they told anyone about the missing White House e-mails. Sounds like there might be some incriminating stuff in those e-mails.

I’m Kerby Anderson of Probe Ministries, and that’s my opinion.