Yesterday, Friday, April13, 2007, I called Congressman Waxman's Oversight Committee office, as a citizen, with some questions about the status of the GWB43.com email servers, pertaining to Waxman's March 26th directive to the chairs of the RNC and Bush-Cheney 04 Campaign to preserve all White House emails.
This is what I wanted to know in particular:
Does the Committee have computer Data Recovery Experts working with them right now, to inform and advise the committee about the entire process of email transmissions and the multiple methods for recovery of deleted emails?
My "Citizen Report" isn't news. I simply wanted to report here my interactions with Waxman's oversight office, from my calling as a citizen.
Note: I posted this yesterday as a comment to citizen92's "CREW asks Fitzgerald to Re-Open Case Against Rove with New E-Mail Evidence" diary, and bejammin075suggested I diary it. I asked "why a separate diary?" and Clive answered:
Why? Citizen journalists - that's why... Dkos will only grow stronger and more respected as an information portal with people who are prepared to go the extra yard and interview the horse, not just it's handler. So, that's why...
Thus:
1. I started 10 days ago calling Waxman's L.A. Office to ask if I could speak to a deputy who is on-point for the GWB43.com email preservation issue. I was told they'd find the right person and he or she would get back to me. ... It's okay, but they didn't. It's okay because they are absorbed in doing "the People's business" -- and that's the highest value use of govt.
2. But I called today to see if I could get an update and speak to a Deputy. The L.A. constituent office apologized that no one ever followed up, and urged that I call the Office of the Oversight Committee because they would best know. My concerns were laregly: When are or if those computers going to be seized to ensure compliance with the March 26th directives.
- I'm guessing this # is readily accessible from the Oversight Committee website, but if not, this is it:
202-225-5051
I explained my inquiry to the person who answered, asking again if I could speak to a deputy, explaining I am "just" a citizen, but very informed one, and I explained this anxiety I wrote of just above -- re "Are they on top of this? Do they have IT Data Recovery experts already involved and part of this investigation?" (This is the central question that all of us are asking, at the baseline of all these threads for 3 weeks on the various methods of data recovery -- and how the White House excuses are so amateurish.)
4. The person who answered the phone said "You would probably best want to speak to someone at the Investigations Task Force. I said "great" and he transferred me. I explained to the person, Matt, who answered that phone, what I was seeking. He was first trying to determine "who are you with?". I said "no one. I'm a citizen and I'm concerned about the time gap going on now since March 26th and the increased opportunities for data destruction. He was trying to to screen first for "am I seeking an on-the-record comment?" I said no.
5. So, he gave me some boilerplate language about "the investigation is proceeding" and I interrupted to say, listen I am a way more sophisticated citizen in terms of how informed I am about this, and I have a few specific questions". I said "at progressive blogs like DailyKos, there has been a tremendous amount of knowledge compiled from many IT specialists in data recovery, some of whom have worked for the government, and there is an overall concern about how knowledgeable the Committee is on data recovery forensics, and IF the committee is already in process of consulting with such experts."
6. He said I can't provide you with that information and I'm not going to comment on what we may or may not be doing. I persisted and said "I underdstand that. But listen, there are citizens like me who have been waiting for 6 years to get some oversight here, and we are thrilled with the job Congressman Waxman is doing. We don't want this investigation to be subverted by the White House -- and right now is great concern on, for example, DailyKos blog, about whether or not these computers are going to be seized, and if not, why not?"
He said when I asked, that yes he was familiar with DailyKos -- but that is as far as it went on that. but for me, at least that was slightly reassuring. I asked "Are they going to be seized? It's been 3 weeks since Congressman Waxman posted that directive on the Oversight website -- on March 26. Can you tell me what is going on?"
He said they are going through the proper channels and giving the White House every opportunity to comply with their requests, and this takes time. It doesn't just happen in a few days. We're dealing with Counsel etc and it takes time. And I'm not going to comment on what steps we may or may not be taking. I'm just not going to do that."
I pushed for one more piece of information:
"Okay, I understand that. Can you try to obtain for me one definitive answer, yes or no: Is the Committee working now with Data Recovery experts? That's all I want to know."
He said he'll see if he can get me that answer. I was on hold a few minutes, and he came back and answered
"I'm sorry, we can't disclose any information about what we are or aren't doing. We just won't do that."
And though I knew I was trying his patience, I re-phrased the question one more time:
Okay, understood. Well can you at least tell me this: I started off this call saying there is a great deal of anxiety amongst progressives who have been following this closely that the White House is possibly destroying evidence as this clock ticks, so can you personally characterize the investigation as either "progressing steadily to assure compliance", or more like "we are all over this and are very cognizant of these data issues".
Darn. that was my last shot -- and I stopped there when he said
"I'm sorry, I'm just not going to comment on that; we aren't going to disclose our process and methods."
--
The purpose of my writing this detailed post was to (a) provide a rundown of the beauty of what open government is like -- when you can actually talk to someone, and extract some information vs "none of your friggin business" :) and (b) to amplify my comment in the prior post about being heartened by CREW's actions. Bottom line is: I feel as though Waxman IS all over this, and they are proceeding as fast as they can, given the "due process" of trying to work with, vs being adversarial and hostile -- at least at THIS stage of the game. And that gives me a nice clean exhale from my overall anxiety caused by the bullshit maneuvering of this White House.