WASHINGTON - Congressman Adam H. Putnam (FL-12), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and the Census, made the following statement following the House Government Reform Committee’s decision to hold hearings into the investigation of former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger.

“Former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger has admitted taking highly sensitive and classified terrorism documents from a secure reading room at the National Archives,” said Putnam. “This is a direct violation of the law, and he must be held accountable for his reckless and potentially damaging actions.”

“It astounds me that someone of Mr. Berger’s stature and position, a former National Security Advisor under the Clinton Administration, could be so careless as to walk out with these sensitive documents in his pants, knowingly breaking the law,” said Putnam. “Mr. Berger’s own attorney, Lanny Breuer, has even acknowledged that Berger tucked handwritten notes he made from classified documents into his pockets. This is extraordinary and seems to indicate a deliberate attempt to conceal his actions. The impact of this manipulation on the work of the 911 Commission needs to be determined.”

“As Chairman of the Subcommittee with jurisdiction over the National Archives, I look forward to joining Government Reform Chairman Tom Davis in holding hearings into these serious allegations,” concluded Putnam. “We not only have a constitutional duty as members of Congress, but to the American people, to ensure that America’s security is not breached.”

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