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Daily Archives: September 2, 2008

DOJ OIG: Report of Investigation Regarding Allegations of Mishandling of Classified Documents by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales

DOJ OIG: Report of Investigation Regarding Allegations of Mishandling of Classified Documents by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, September 2, 2008.

“In sum, our investigation concluded that Gonzales mishandled classified materials regarding two highly sensitive compartmented programs. We found that Gonzales took his classified handwritten notes home and stored them there for an indeterminate period of time. The notes contained operational aspects and other information about the NSA surveillance program that is classified at the TS/SCI level. By regulation, such material must be stored in a Sensitive Compartmented Storage Facility (SCIF). At the time he took these materials home, Gonzales did not have a SCIF at his house. Although Gonzales did have a safe at his residence at this time, we found that he did not use it to store the notes.

We also found that Gonzales improperly stored other highly classified documents about the two compartmented programs in a safe at the Department that was not located in a SCIF. Several employees in the OAG had access to the safe where Gonzales stored the documents even though they lacked the necessary security clearances for this information. We concluded that Gonzales’s mishandling of both the notes and the other classified documents violated Department security requirements and procedures.”

Federal Reserve – The Final Frontier: The Integration of Banking and Commerce

The Final Frontier: The Integration of Banking and Commerce, Part 2: Risk and Return Using Efficient Portfolio Analysis, Alan K. Reichert, Larry D. Wall, and Hsin-Yu Liang, Economic Review, Vol. 93, No. 2, 2008. “In the first part (in the previous issue of Economic Review) of this two-part study, the authors identified a number of… Continue Reading

Federal Judge Orders DOJ To Turn Over Memos Authorizing Torture Or Justify Withholding Them

ACLU news release: “A federal judge [U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York] has ordered the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) to turn over three memos that authorized the extremely harsh treatment of prisoners in CIA custody or explain by October 3 why these memos can lawfully be withheld. The American Civil… Continue Reading

Public libraries report double-digit growth

News release: “A new study clearly finds that America’s public libraries are breaking through traditional brick-and-mortar walls to serve more people online and in person. America’s 16,543 public library buildings are leveraging technology to help children succeed in school and support lifelong learning. More than 83 percent now offer online homework resources, including live tutors… Continue Reading

Civil Rights Complaints in U.S. District Courts, 1990-2006

Bureau of Justice Statistics: Civil Rights Complaints in U.S. District Courts, 1990 – 2006 “Examines civil rights claims based on race, age, sex, or national origin involving employment, welfare, housing, voting, or other civil rights discrimination issues. It covers civil rights claims litigated in federal district courts from 1990 to 2006. Information is presented on… Continue Reading