I Destroyed Records, NASA Official to Admit

A senior NASA official is expected to express his regret over destroying recordings sought by lawmakers before a congressional panel today. According to a copy of his prepared remarks obtained by the Blotter on ABCNews.com, Michael C. Wholley (pictured on the left), general counsel of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), will tell members of a House panel this morning he "wishes" NASA had preserved at least one of several video recordings of a controversial April 10 meeting, in which NASA administrator Michael Griffin allegedly spoke in support of the agency’s embattled inspector general, Robert W. "Moose" Cobb (pictured on the right). But according to his remarks, Wholley will defend the legality of his decision to destroy several DVD recordings of the meeting, telling the House Committee on Science and Technology that he destroyed the recordings on the day of the meeting or the following day after checking two laws which govern the preservation of government records. THE BLOTTER RECOMMENDS Blotter Federal Watchdogs Facing New Scrutiny Blotter Congress Circling Embattled Bush Official Click Here to Check Out Brian Ross Slideshows "This was a closed meeting," his remarks state, "specifically directed to not be recorded, and these DVDs were not Agency records at the time." Cobb, the NASA inspector general, has been the subject of an exhaustive investigation by a federal review panel, which concluded in January he had abused his authority and lacked independence. The panel recommended he be disciplined or dismissed.  Cobb has made no public comment on the investigation or its conclusions. Wholley has reportedly made similar admissions in private meetings with congressional staffers investigating the incident. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., a one-time crew member of the space shuttle Columbia, has called for Wholley’s resignation over the matter. Rep. Brad Miller, D-N.C., chair of the House science committee, has called it "nothing less than the destruction of evidence." Wholley is expected to say he first heard of a congressional request to produce a recording of the meeting a week after he says he destroyed the DVDs, and that he regrets his decision to destroy them. "I do not think that anybody wishes more than I do that a recording of that meeting could be provided to this body," his testimony reads. In a statement earlier this month, NASA administrator Griffin admitted the action was "a mistake." Do you have a tip for the Brian Ross & the Investigative Team?