Feds Probe More Passport Peeps: Clinton, McCain & Obama Files Breached
Updated: After an earlier acknowledgement of improper peeping by employees into the passport file of Sen. Barack Obama, the U.S. Department of State now says workers looked at the passport files of all three major-party front-runners in the presidential campaign.
Workers improperly accessed electronic files containing personal information about Senators Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain, although full details of the incidents apparently haven’t yet been publicly disclosed, according to the New York Times.
It appears, however, that internal security controls may be lacking, according to information provided by Sean McCormack, a state department spokesman:
“Mrs. Clinton’s passport file was breached last summer during a training session for State Department employees,” the newspaper recounts. “A trainee was encouraged to enter a family member’s name into the passport database for training purposes, Mr. McCormack said. Instead, the trainee entered Mrs. Clinton’s name; Mr. McCormack said the trainee was promptly admonished.”
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has pledged a full investigation, and characterized the incidents as a disturbing invasion of privacy, according to the Washington Post.
She has reportedly apologized to Obama and Clinton, and plans to apologize to McCain, who was in Paris today.
As discussed in an earlier ABAJournal.com post, the State Department announced yesterday that it had fired two contract workers and disciplined a third for obtaining unauthorized access to Obama’s passport file on three occasions in January, February and March.
Representatives of the McCain and Obama campaigns statement have called for a thorough investigation and enhanced procedures to protect the privacy of passport applicants.
Updated at 5:40 p.m., central time, to include Washington Post coverage.
