The Next Bush Scandal?

1) Did the e-mails violate internal White House policy or the Presidential Records Act?

2) Were Rove and the others aware that official business should be conducted on official servers?

3) Were they intentionally trying to keep their e-mails off the official system and therefore permanently out of public view, or was it just a matter of convenience?

4) How does this White House distinguish official business from political business -- if at all?

Some Background

I first wrote about this issue in my March 14 column: "It makes some sense that White House officials might have and use such accounts when they conduct party business, rather than White House business. But the distinction between party and government business seems to have been forgotten here -- which I guess is exactly the point."

I also submitted four questions to the White House press office about the matter. Among them: "Does White House policy allow White House staffers to use non-White House e-mail addresses for official White House business? Does it prohibit it? What is the policy?"

In my March 15 column, I added four more questions suggested by readers. Among them: "Does non-White House e-mail fulfill security requirements for White House communications?" (Despite my repeated attempts since then, there's been no answer to any of the questions.)

I also noted that Steve Bell, the chief of staff to Sen. Pete Domenici, sent an e-mail about the senator's preferred replacement for fired U.S. attorney David Iglesias to three people -- including one "kr@georgewbush.com". Bell wouldn't talk to me about that on the record.

In my March 16 column, I linked to a letter from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) asking the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to investigate.

In my March 23 column, I quoted extensively from the mainstream media's first significant stab at the story: a National Journal article by Alexis Simendinger (subscription required).

"White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove may have forfeited potential claims of executive privilege over the dismissals of eight U.S. attorneys-- if he communicated about the latter outside the White House e-mail system, using his Republican National Committee e-mail account or RNC equipment," Simendinger wrote.

And, she noted: "According to one former White House official familiar with Rove's work habits, the president's top political adviser does 'about 95 percent' of his e-mailing using his RNC-based account."