What Is It about those GOP Appointees and their Email Computer Files?

by emptywheel

In the latest episode in the ongoing saga of disappearing GOP emails, the WSJ reports that Scott Bloch, the head of the Office of Special Counsel, invited Geeks on Call in last year, apparently to delete a bunch of emails computer files.

The head of the federal agency investigating Karl Rove's White House political operation is facing allegations that he improperly deleted computer files during another probe, using a private computer-help company, Geeks on Call.

[snip]

Recently, investigators learned that Mr. Bloch erased all the files on his office personal computer late last year. They are now trying to determine whether the deletions were improper or part of a cover-up, lawyers close to the case said.

Bypassing his agency's computer technicians, Mr. Bloch phoned 1-800-905-GEEKS for Geeks on Call, the mobile PC-help service. It dispatched a technician in one of its signature PT Cruiser wagons. In an interview, the 49-year-old former labor-law litigator from Lawrence, Kan., confirmed that he contacted Geeks on Call but said he was trying to eradicate a virus that had seized control of his computer.

Now, this happened last year, well before Bloch incurred the wrath of Ranking Member on the House Oversight Committee, Tom Davis, for being mean to Lurita Doan (Bloch's meanness started in January, according to Davis). But it is, perhaps, worth noting that as of August, Davis was demanding all of Bloch's emails pertaining to Doan--or to any Member of Congress.

It's not unreasonable to imagine that someone in OSC is leaking this material to try to incriminate Davis himself. After all, Davis is conducting a campaign against Scott Bloch, demanding all of Bloch's political emails.

Davis previously had been a Bloch defender and had praised the OSC for dramatically cutting back its backlog of personnel cases. But at the hearing, the congressman blew up at the witness, explaining that he’d obtained a personal e-mail by Bloch describing Davis as “acting like Doan’s defense counsel” when she testified before the Oversight committee.

Davis then promised to wage what might be called a Blochian crusade: He announced his intention to corral all politically sensitive e-mails Bloch may have sent from his personal account that referred in any manner to Doan or other federal lawmakers. Davis’ chief of staff, David Marin, says his boss will punish any failure to comply by urging the committee to pursue contempt-of-Congress charges. In other words, Scott Bloch, the Bush administration’s in-house Hatch Act enforcer in the U.S. attorneys scandal, could wind up facing the same charges now confronting the high-profile noncompliant congressional witnesses in the case, White House Chief of Staff Joshua B. Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers.

As I point out in this post, Davis' demand for Bloch's email--including any emails that reference federal lawmakers--would net emails that refer in any manner to Davis himself. Even if those emails referring to Davis as part of Bloch's investigation into Rove's asset deployment teams!!! If the WaPo story came from leaks from Bloch, the leaks may have been an effort to get Waxman--or someone else--to pick up an  investigation stymied by Davis' collection of Bloch's emails.

There's no reason to think these two are related. But there is a good deal of interest in Scott Bloch's personal email account computer files.

Comments

[Jodi]

People have a right to expect their emails to be private!

Why am I having to tell Democrats the Holy Knights of Privacy this?

[emptywheel]

Jodi

Perhaps it's because the rest of us know about the Presidential Records Act. Aside from the fact that no one in govt really SHOULD expect their emails to be private. There are laws about that, you know.

[Jodi]

emptywheel,

does this mean that the FBI is going to arrest Mr Bloch for violating the Presidential Records Act?

What are the penalties that we are talking about here?

?nil?

[P J Evans]

How did he get away with calling in a private firm to do this? Was he afraid that if he called his local IT guys they'd refuse and report him (and to whom whould he have been reported)?

EW, maybe the troll should go read that post about cell phones and surveillance from a few days back, just for educational purposes.

[Jodi]

P J

well, maybe you don't understand the law. I think the lawyers don't either because they keep arguing about it and not just that one thing.

[Rayne]

Conspiracy. He's on the hook for that, if his intentions are proven to be less than pure. What's the chances that a guy [adjective of choice here] enough to hire and pay for a private firm to do a military wipe of multiple hard drives would find out how to do that on his own?

My money is on coaching from somebody.

And he's gotten coaching from somebody not smart enough to tell him that even a military wipe isn't enough to obliterate mail...or perhaps somebody meant to leave the breadcrumbs they did.

Jodi -- you voted for these people, you tell us. What's the odds. And frankly, you in theory being the supposed proponent of smaller, smarter and accountable government, why would anybody assume as a government employee paid by public monies while serving the public that their emails and the emails of similar employed subordinates on government-owned equipment were in any way private? I do remember there being a sh*tstorm of wrath about lost emails during the Clinton years -- when did the rules change? Why not be honest for once in your troll-life and simply admit that you believe It's Okay If You're A Republican to break the laws? You could go on with your life someplace else, save us all a bunch of time.

[Shit Stain Remover]

Why not be honest for once in your troll-life and simply admit that you believe It's Okay If You're A Republican to break the laws? You could go on with your life someplace else, save us all a bunch of time.
Posted by: Rayne | November 28, 2007 at 12:37

?nil?
Posted by: Shit Stain Jodi | November 28, 2007 at 12:20

Is the shit stain's lack of understanding histrionic or genuine?

[Mad Dogs]

Those Repugs sure like the "paperless society" 'cause they don't have to carry matches around anymore and always be called hurtful things like "serial arsonist".

Why I now hear the Repugs are going to change their party symbol to a big horseshoe magnet.

[P J Evans]

I have a DOS program that does a pretty good job of deleting files - it writes over them at least three times. Not saying it's as good as the one Bloch had done, but it's probably good enough for most purposes. So they're easily available to anyone who wants one. (Googling produces tens of thousands of hits.)

[Jodi]

By the way, I voted against President Bush, 43 the 2nd time.

[randiego]

Mad Dogs - the Horsehoe Magnet thing made me spew my coffee!

Jodi - does that mean you voted for - Egads! - John Kerry, the effete Frenchman? Or did you just sit that one out?

PS - please respond in a substantial way to Rayne's questions. I suspect she's on to something there...

[radiofreewill]

"Mr. Bloch phoned 1-800-905-GEEKS for Geeks on Call, the mobile PC-help service."

(I can almost guarantee that he got the idea to use 'Geeks on Call' from their ad on the Limbaugh show.)

Scott Bloch, OSC, the Hatch Act/Presidential Records enforcement Guy, needed his office PC sanitized...outside the eyes of IT...

Who's buying that?

[bmaz]

RFW - Well, the person responsible for such investigations in the Bush Administration has fully investigated and determined that there was nothing improper done whatsoever. So says the thorough report on the matter by Scott Bloch, OSC, the Hatch Act/Presidential Records enforcement Guy!

[hauksdottir]

There is another reason why the saintly Mr Bloch might have wanted to call upon a private outside firm.

:wide evil grin:

He claims that he had a virus. Viruses are often picked up by visiting porn sites or downloading warez. I would like to assume that the government's email system provider had a basic anti-virus filter, but that doesn't help if a person goes deliberately to a site and clicks a link.

Geeks-on-Call probably have a clause in their contract that says they won't blab about whatever they find on a computer. This could protect trade secrets or embarrassment. When Rush Limbaugh was checking out vacation sites for under-age love nests and stocking up on Viagra, he probably acquired computer files that he wanted gone-gone-gone. Discretely.

What did Mr Bloch want gone-gone-gone?

[Gary]

I'm undecided here . . . on whether it was corruption, kiddy pr0n, or both.

How does the timing of this case match up with those Bush Admin officials arrested for child pornography, anyway?

But seriously, this stinks to high hell. This should be a front page story, and my best guess is covering up his obstruction of justice. (Obstructing justice to cover up obstruction of justice . . . should result in a logarithmic prison sentence).

And idoJ sucks.

[freepatriot]

so has geeks on call provided the name of the person who is guilty of helping Mr Bloch obstruct justice (10 year maximum sentence) and destroy evidence (What's the sentencing maximum for that in the US Code)

cuz once the poor bastard realizes that he's facing 10 years in the federal pen, I'm sure our favorite "Geek On Call" is gonna testify against mr bloch

and don't you people know that the shit stain is a good indicator of the outcome here

if the shit stain says innocent, you just know the jury will say guilty

the shit stain is 100 pecent wrong, so use that as an assett

the shit stain is kinda like george bush

incompetence in action

[Shit Stain Remover]

By the way, I voted against President Bush, 43 the 2nd time.
Posted by: Shit Stain Jodi | November 28, 2007 at 13:03

You voted for him before you voted against him... but who gives a shit stain jodi?

[Josiah Bartlett]

Perhaps if we can ever have a just world, this is just one more bushie that will be forever forbidden to hold any governmental position in this lifetime or the next.

Really, what kind of legal career can he have? Would you follow his legal advice if you were a CEO or Board member of a large corporation? Would you have any confidence that he properly prepared the closing documents for even a small real estate transaction?

Perhaps he can find some cushy spot on some right wing think of ways to screw the people tank and suck on the teat of wingnut welfare. But... that won't last long when they figure out how stupid he really is as his e-mails are retrieved from e-mail the different servers they went through.

It may take a while but this guy is dead meat. Even if he gets a pResnit pardon he'll still get dis-barred.

[Josiah Bartlett]

Perhaps if we can ever have a just world, this is just one more bushie that will be forever forbidden to hold any governmental position in this lifetime or the next.

Really, what kind of legal career can he have? Would you follow his legal advice if you were a CEO or Board member of a large corporation? Would you have any confidence that he properly prepared the closing documents for even a small real estate transaction?

Perhaps he can find some cushy spot on some right wing think of ways to screw the people tank and suck on the teat of wingnut welfare. But... that won't last long when they figure out how stupid he really is as his e-mails are retrieved from e-mail the different servers they went through.

It may take a while but this guy is dead meat. Even if he gets a pResnit pardon he'll still get dis-barred.

[pseudonymous in nc]

Geeks-on-Call probably have a clause in their contract that says they won't blab about whatever they find on a computer.

Well, fuck that shit and subpoena them. Let's see how contractual privilege runs up against abetting obstruction of justice, destroying evidence and a Presidential Records Act violation. And doesn't the FBI take the presence of eraser or strong encryption software as inherently suspicious?

He claims that he had a virus. Viruses are often picked up by visiting porn sites or downloading warez.

Or from those wonderful forwarded emails, though one would hope that the WH's email server would scan and/or strip attachments. Of course, if he had a GOP address, all bets are off.

[dougR]

(sigh) has anyone heard anything whatsoever about any Democrat anywhere with investigatory responsibility (i.e. congressional/senatorial rank) who is doing anything at all about obtaining all those Republican/RNC e-mails that, like Scotty Bloch's erased e-mails, supposedly exist on numerous traceable servers?

I'm asking because I seriously don't know the answer and haven't read anything about it in the longest time. A bunch of subpoenas get issued, then.....nothing. am I missing something? are the wheels of justice somehow grinding silently in the background against this crime syndicate that is the Bush administration, and all goons and thugs? My guess is, not at all. Why even write about it? "Presidential Records Act?" WHO CARES? Scotty's going to get away with this, just like the rest of them have (and if the parties were reversed, we'd have at least a half-dozen special prosecutors a la Ken Starr on steroids, raking Democrats over the coals round the clock, wouldn't we.)

I just don't understand why none of these maggots is in jail yet. Sorry, I'll go away now.

[Jodi]

I don't understand why some folks don't understand that it is necessary from time to time to do a little housekeeping on your files, and your computer or things just keep piling up.

And now we know what happened to the emails. A virus destroyed them.

Heck. What a shame. Anyway, a good opportunity to clean up those old records.