DATE=2/8/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=DEUTCH LOSES CLEARANCE (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-258964
BYLINE=JIM RANDLE
DATELINE=PENTAGON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The chairman of the Senate Committee that
watches over U-S intelligence activities says there
may have been favoritism and a cover-up in the case of
former C-I-A Director John Deutch. The one-time
spymaster was barred from seeing classified
information after allegations he failed to properly
protect some of Washington's most closely-guarded
secrets. V-O-A's Jim Randle reports from the
Pentagon.
TEXT: Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard
Shelby of Alabama says his panel wants to hear from
former C-I-A Director John Deutch, as well as the man
who currently heads the U-S Intelligence community,
George Tenet, the Justice Department, and the Federal
Bureau of Investigation. Senator Shelby says he may
call hearings to look into the case.
Tuesday, C-I-A legal officials briefed the committee
on the Deutch matter in a secret session, but left
Senator Shelby with a lot of unanswered questions.
/// SHELBY ACT ///
I think that will be one of the real central
questions. Was there a cover up? Was there
potential, well not potential - was there
preferential treatment? We are getting into
this; we are not satisfied at this moment with
the explanations.
/// END ACT ///
Senator Shelby spoke to reporters about the time Mr.
Deutch's attorney contacted top Pentagon officials to
request that his last security clearances be
`discontinued.'
As a former top official at the Pentagon and the C-I-
A, Mr. Deutch had been allowed continued access to U-S
secrets for his work advising defense contractors and
in university research.
Last August he lost the high level, broad access to
secret information after allegations he used an
unguarded computer in his home to work on extremely
sensitive materials. The computer was also used to
access Internet web sites and for e-mail, which
experts say might have might have allowed skilled
adversaries to steal the sensitive information stored
in the machine.
In the past few days, Pentagon officials said Mr.
Deutch still had access to some secrets about military
equipment. Monday, Defense Secretary William Cohen
said he was considering revoking Mr. Deutch's last
access to government secrets. But Mr. Deutch's
voluntary action made it unnecessary to continue that
process.
Meantime, top C-I-A officials hinted that the scandal
might spread beyond Mr. Deutch. In a letter to the
President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory board,
agency officials called the matter an `unprecedented'
case involving a former Director of Intelligence and
`a number of former and current senior Agency
officials.' (Signed).
NEB/jr/gm
08-Feb-2000 19:09 PM EDT (09-Feb-2000 0009 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.
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