The Berger Smear...Again

In an editorial today, the Trib editorial board writes:

Allegations continue that during his preparation for testimony before the 9/11 commission, Berger destroyed documents that would have greatly embarrassed Mr. Clinton over his devil-may-care approach to terrorism.

As Daniel Patrick Moynahan is quoted as saying:

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts.

And The Trib is trying to have it's own fact here. Why? Well, let's take a look at the facts (the actual facts, not the allegations of facts from the right-wing press). According to the New York Times:

In 2003, Mr. Berger spent several days at the National Archives reviewing classified material as the Clinton administration’s designated liaison to the Sept. 11 commission. He later admitted that he took and destroyed several versions of a classified report prepared in 2000 on the so-called millennium terrorist plots, although the commission had copies of the same reports.

And the dependably right-wing OpinionJournal:

So we called Justice Department Public Integrity chief prosecutor Noel Hillman, who assured us that Mr. Berger did not deny any documents to history. "There is no evidence that he intended to destroy originals," said Mr. Hillman. "There is no evidence that he did destroy originals. We have objectively and affirmatively confirmed that the contents of all the five documents at issue exist today and were made available to the 9/11 Commission."

So whatever "embarrassing" information found in the reports is still in the reports, right? And those reports are still in the National Archives, right? And yet, The Trib is still at it, implying a cover-up when the evidence doesn't support it.

Not surprising - it IS the right wing press, you know.