Mr. Miranda's View

The Nov. 15 On the Hill column, "After a Number of Miranda Wrongs, Former Senate Aide Is Headed for Iraq" [In The Loop], contained significant errors, not least of which was failing to note that I have been serving in Baghdad for 11 months now. The column asserted that "an internal Senate investigation determined" that I and a junior Senate aide "swiped 4,670 documents, memos and e-mails." That is not true. We "swiped" nothing. The column stated: "Miranda subsequently acknowledged doing so." This is also not true. In fact, I have stated the exact opposite in public court documents in which I took the unusually certain step of inviting the federal courts to adjudicate the allegations you rehashed. I read only a small number of partisan strategy memos outlining Democratic strategy to deny Senate votes to Bush judicial nominees for reasons such as ethnicity and ongoing litigation.

My court and other statements have never been contested. Time and events have repeatedly vindicated my view of the law and the facts on this matter. Under law, congressional documents are public and are not protected from the people's right to know.

MANUEL A. MIRANDA

Washington