Democrat Wants Answers on Obama Passport Breach

A senior House Democrat wants to know the name of the as-yet-unnamed State Department contracting firm involved in illicitly peeking at Barack Obama's passport records.

"I...believe this information should be made publicly available," wrote House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., in a letter today to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Waxman also asked Rice to identify the workers involved in the snooping.

Three State contract employees improperly accessed the passport records of presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., earlier this year, the State Department revealed yesterday following a reporter's query.

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An Obama spokesman called the breaches "outrageous." State Department spokesman Sean McCormack blamed them on the "imprudent curiosity" of the individuals involved but said the matter was still being investigated.

State officials have declined so far to identify the employees or company involved, although they have said two employees have been dismissed, and that internal reporting of the breaches was improperly handled.

On Friday, Rice personally apologized to Obama for the incidents.

Waxman gave Rice a Monday deadline to respond to his request. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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