Report: Gonzales Mishandled Top Secret Docs
Internal DOJ Report Found Then-AG Had a Safe, Forgot Combination
Former Deputy Attorney General James Comey and FBI Director Robert Mueller have both testified before Congress that after the meeting Gonzales, then serving as White House counsel, visited Attorney General John Ashcroft while he was hospitalized, seeking reauthorization of the surveillance program, even though Ashcroft had ceded his powers to Comey.
According to the report, Gonzales told the inspector general that his "intent in drafting the notes was to record the reactions of the congressional leaders during the meeting, as opposed to recording any operational details about the program that were discussed."
"However, Gonzales' summary also referenced [Top Secret] operational aspects of the program by his use of specific terms associated with the program. The notes also included the SCI code word used to identify the program," the report also said.
Last year, Gonzales reviewed portions of his notes as he prepared for congressional testimony about the program and the course of events that took place. Investigators found that Gonzales did not keep the documents locked in a safe he had at his residence because, "Gonzales did not know the combination," according to the report.
Gonzales was often criticized during his controversial tenure as attorney general, and was pointedly questioned about the NSA program by members of Congress for his conflicting testimony. The role Justice Department lawyers played in approving the NSA program is currently under a separate investigation by the Inspector General's Office.
The report released Monday also noted conflicting information provided by Gonzales and his interactions with White House counsel Fred Fielding.
"Gonzales told us he gave a copy of his notes to Fielding sometime after Comey's testimony," the report said. "Fielding told the OIG that Gonzales had informed him sometime after Comey testified that Gonzales had some notes concerning the March 10, 2004, meeting, but that Gonzales 'wasn't sure where they were.' Fielding added that Gonzales said he was not sure if he had left the notes at the White House or had taken them with him when he left the White House to become the attorney general. Fielding stated that Gonzales later told him he had found the notes and described for Fielding what the notes said."
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