White House Aides Misuse Their Computers

When the Bush administration took over the White House in 2001, the Republican National Committee provided White House aides with laptop computers. According to the RNC, this was so the aides would not use the government computers for campaign purposes, which they recognized would be inappropriate.

I'll give the RNC the benefit of the doubt and say if that was their ultimate purpose, then it was appropriate and laudable. But after years of lies and coverups by the Bush administration, it should come as no surprise to anyone that these computers have been misused.

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-California) has discovered that many of the aides have used the computers to conduct official government business. This is a clear violation of the Presidential Records Act, which requires the preservation and disclosure of government records. Instead, the Bush administration has used these computers to hide many of its government records.

Waxman also believes the computers were used to hide White House communications with convicted lobbist, Jack Abramoff. By keeping Abramoff communications off the government computers, they thought they could hide his White House ties.

These same computers were also used to hide the White House involvement in the politically-motivated firing of U.S. Attorneys. And they were used to pressure the General Services Administration to make decisions that would help Republican candidates in the last election.

Many Republican activists are terrified now that this computer misuse has been discovered, because they have no idea what other dark secrets may be lurking in these computer files and e-mails. Waxman is now demanding access to the computer e-mails, and since they have been used to hide government business, he should be given that access.

After watching Bush's rather cavalier disrespect for the law over the past few years, it is easy to believe that he would take a gift given him to obey the law, and use it to break the law. Is there any depth to which Bush and his henchmen will not sink to further their own ambitions?

Congressional democrats need to back Rep. Waxman on this issue. It looks like we have only seen the tip of this iceberg, and much more muck is hiding under the surface.