Countless White House E-Mails Deleted

"A conference call that was intended to clear up questions about the use of a Republican Party-sponsored e-mail system at the White House, however, left many questions unanswered. It's still unclear whether White House aides used the outside e-mail system to try to keep their communications secret and how many e-mails might have gone astray.

"Some communications that have come to light suggest that officials may have used the outside system to conceal some of their communications."

Jennifer Loven writes for the Associated Press: "Democrats also have been asking if White House officials are purposely conducting sensitive official presidential business via nongovernmental accounts to get around a law requiring preservation -- and eventual disclosure -- of presidential records. The announcement of the lost e-mails -- a rare admission of error from the Bush White House at a delicate time for the administration's relations with Democratically controlled Capitol Hill -- gave new fodder for inquiry on this front."

Holly Rosenkrantz writes for Bloomberg: "Stanzel blamed the loss on staff confusion about the law requiring all official White House business to be preserved, as well as aides failing to switch to their official e-mail accounts in the midst of sending messages. That explanation drew skepticism from Democrats.

"'This sounds like the administration's version of the dog ate my homework,' Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy said. 'Just when this administration is finally subjected to meaningful oversight, it cannot produce the necessary information.'

"The Vermont Democrat, whose panel is investigating the circumstances surrounding the dismissal of eight U.S. attorneys last year, said he was 'deeply disturbed' by the situation. . . .

"Leahy and Representative John Conyers of Michigan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, wrote White House Counsel Fred Fielding on March 28 asking that he take steps to preserve any e-mails written by White House personnel from non- government e-mail addresses.

"'We hope you agree that such sleight of hand not be used to circumvent and compromise the comprehensiveness of our investigation,' the two lawmakers wrote."

On NPR this morning, Renee Montagne spoke with Don Gonyea about the news.

Montagne: "Will there be comparisons in this case to the Watergate era, when Richard Nixon's secretary, Rosemary Woods, quite famously lost 18 minutes of a key audio tape from the Oval Office?"

Gonyea: "It's just inevitable that that very comparison is going to be drawn."

Montagne: "If e-mails have been destroyed, isn't someone in a lot of trouble?"