Disappearance of Disc With Clinton Data Investigated (Update1)

By Edwin Chen

May 20 (Bloomberg) -- Federal authorities are investigating the disappearance of a computer disc from the National Archives containing Social Security numbers and Secret Service procedures from former President Bill Clinton’s administration, congressional officials said.

Among the files on the disc were 100,000 Social Security numbers, including that of one of former Vice President Al Gore’s daughters, contact information for officials who served in the Clinton administration, logs of events and “other highly sensitive information,” according to a statement from the office of Representative Darrell Issa, the ranking Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Democratic Representative Edolphus Towns of New York, chairman of the committee, called it a “serious security breach.”

Mark McKenna, a spokesman for former President Bill Clinton said Clinton Foundation officials have asked the Archives for “a full accounting of what was on the drive.”

The disc was lost sometime between October 2008 and March 2009 and a criminal probe is underway by the Archives inspector general and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Susan Cooper, director of communications for the Archives, said the loss was confirmed in early April and the inspector general immediately began a criminal investigation.

The Archives also “immediately undertook a review of our internal controls and we have implemented improved security processes,” Cooper said in a statement.

Call for Investigation

Issa called for a congressional investigation.

“This egregious breach raises significant questions regarding the security protocols that are in place at the National Archives and Records Administration,” Issa said.

The disc, which contained one terabyte of data, is missing from the Archives facility in the Washington suburb of College Park, Maryland. The statement from Issa’s staff quoted the inspector general as saying that one terabyte of data is the approximate equivalent of “millions of books.”

“The full extent of the contents of the drive is still being investigated,” the statement said.

The hard drive was left unsecured in a work area while the records were being processed, according to Issa’s statement. At least 100 people with Archive badges had access to the area. In addition, the inspector general said janitors, visitors and interns passed through the area where the drive was being kept, the Republican statement said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Edwin Chen in Washington at EChen32@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: May 20, 2009 11:14 EDT

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