WP: The Case of Roberts's Missing Papers

[deminks]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/10/AR2006051002232.html?nav=rss_politics/fedpage

The country has John G. Roberts Jr. as its newest chief justice. What it doesn't have is an answer to the mystery of the missing file of his work papers on affirmative action.

The file, compiled during Roberts's tenure as an associate counsel in the Reagan White House, vanished in July when lawyers from the Bush administration were reviewing the materials at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., as part of a vetting process before Roberts's formal nomination to the Supreme Court.

Investigators did conclude, however, that the Archives staff did not follow agency policies and procedures in providing tens of thousands of pages of requested material to the two lawyers, who were allowed to review the documents in a private office "because it would be discreet and keep them out of sight of the main research room."

The lawyers working for the White House "were allowed to bring personal belongings with them into the room while they worked," investigators wrote. The lawyers also were left alone in the office with the records for as long as 30 minutes while they participated in conference calls with the White House, the report said.

[cally]

1. Let me guess. The WP had this story but held it until after

confirmation so they wouldn't influence the process. Anyone want to take the bet?

[Sydnie]

2. Conference calls .... who was on the other end of that phone? n/t

[grasswire]

3. I love this part

"The White House has declined to publicly reveal the identities of the lawyers who conducted the document review, and their names and those of Archives officials were redacted in the IG report."

Why? Why?