White House begins copying tapes of missing e-mails

By Ted Barrett/CNN

July 13, 2000
Web posted at: 6:13 p.m. EDT (2213 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After months of delay, the White House on Thursday began the process of copying back-up tapes containing thousands of missing e-mails, the White House point person on the project announced unexpectedly in court testimony.

The e-mails, lost as a result of a computer problem, are under subpoena for various investigations -- including the ongoing campaign finance probe of Vice President Al Gore.

The announcement came from Chief Warrant Officer Terrence Misich, several hours into a hearing called so that a federal judge could determine the best way to proceed in recovering the missing e-mails.

He testified that after months of trying to develop an FBI-approved system to quickly recover the information, the White House found its solution Thursday morning and -- with the FBI's stamp of approval -- began the process that will soon turn out 25-30 tapes per day.

Until now, the White House had said it would only be able to copy two tapes per day. The judge overseeing the matter said Monday that that rate was "preposterous," with about 3,400 tapes waiting to be transferred.

Misich's testimony eclipsed the earlier testimony of two former White House computer specialists who also questioned the turnaround rate. Sheryl Hall and Betty Lambuth both testified the White House should be able to begin turning out the e-mails in the next few days and have the bulk of the work done in the next few months.

That could make the messages available to investigators before the November election. Congressional Republicans and others have accused the administration of trying to delay the recovery of the e-mails past that date.

Late last month, the White House told U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth, who is hearing the civil suit that involves the e-mail, that their restoration efforts had for the most part failed.

Hall, a former manager of the White House e-mail system, said restoring the e-mails from back-up tapes is not "rocket science." She said she thinks the e-mails could be fully recovered in four to six months and that the first messages would be available for review in as few as three to four days.

"We're dealing with obstruction and a conscious effort to delay," she testified.

Hall told a congressional panel earlier this year that she was threatened with jail if she revealed information about the missing messages. She is currently suing the administration.

Under cross-examination by Justice Department lawyer Elizabeth Shapiro, Hall acknowledged that her technical expertise is limited on the recovery process and that she is "speculating" about exactly how long it would take.

Lambuth, who was a contract employee at the White House, said she thought the e-mails could be recovered in as little as three months.

Both Hall and Lambuth testified the e-mails could have been recovered long ago if the White House had made efforts to do so when the problem surfaced in 1998.

Thursday's hearing is part of a suit filed by the conservative legal group Judicial Watch. It wants the e-mails as part of its lawsuit against the Clinton White House regarding FBI files of Reagan and Bush staffers that wound up in the Clinton White House.