Forensic expert needed to bring back deleted email messages

["Richard M. Smith" <rms () computerbytesman com>]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117634576801367330.html?mod=todays_us_page_o
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White House Says Emails Were Erased
By a WALL STREET JOURNAL Staff Reporter
April 12, 2007; Page A7

WASHINGTON -- The White House acknowledged for the first time yesterday some
top staffers' emails sent through outside accounts were routinely destroyed,
despite a law requiring preservation of presidential records.

Outside email accounts were created for some top White House officials,
mostly those with political jobs that have brought them in frequent contact
with the president's own campaigns or the Republican National Committee. The
RNC now maintains the accounts.

Democrats in Congress have been demanding access to the emails as an
offshoot of their investigation into the firings of eight U.S. attorneys. At
least one White House official, Scott Jennings, took part in email
discussions of the firings using his outside account.

An internal review showed that emails generated by the officials were
routinely erased prior to 2004, White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said.
Even after the routine erasures stopped in 2004, staffers sometimes deleted
their own emails. The deletions have now stopped, he said.

White House officials said they created the outside email accounts in order
to comply with the Hatch Act, which broadly forbids use of government
resources for political activity. Democrats contend at least some of the
outside emails clearly related to official actions.
 
 

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