by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB![]()
Roanoke Times Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: THURSDAY, January 7, 1993 TAG: 9301070185 SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A4 EDITION: METRO SOURCE: The Washington Post DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short
JUDGE: DON'T ERASE BUSH-TERM TAPES WHITE HOUSE KEPT
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that a White House plan to destroy some computerized records is unlawful, and he ordered the National Archives to prevent the Bush administration from erasing most records contained in the White House computer system.U.S. District Judge Charles Richey said in his 32-page opinion that he was concerned that the Bush administration, which had said it might begin destroying some unspecified records today, was about to erase records "of tremendous historical value."
Such records, he said, could show who was involved in a particular decision, what they knew and when they knew it.
Richey noted that such information was of crucial importance to the Iran-Contra and Watergate investigations of past administrations. "When left to themselves, agencies have a built-in incentive to dispose of records relating to their mistakes," Richey said.
Richey's order came in a Freedom of Information case brought by writer Scott Armstrong; the National Security Archive; and others.