House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., reacted today to news of the probe of former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, saying he is "profoundly troubled" by allegations the former Clinton aide stole classified terrorism documents from a secure reading room in preparation for the 9-11 Commission hearings.
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"What could those documents have said that drove Mr. Berger to remove them without authorization from a secure reading room for classified documents?" Hastert asked in a statement.
"What information could be so embarrassing that a man with decades of experience in handling classified documents would risk being caught pilfering our nation's most sensitive secrets?
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"Did these documents detail simple negligence or did they contain something more sinister? Was this a bungled attempt to rewrite history and keep critical information from the 9-11 Commission and potentially put their report under a cloud?
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Concluded Hastert: "Mr. Berger has a lot of explaining to do. He was given access to these documents to assist the 9-11 Commission, not hide information from them. The American people and the 9-11 families don't want cover-ups when it comes to the War on Terror. They want the truth. And so does the U.S. House of Representatives."
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