The issue of email accounts of Bush vs. Clinton

Quote:


"The Clinton administration was doing this too — they were using e-mail accounts that were outside the presidential records system."


Hmmmm.. Sounds like tic for tac by the Bush Administration and playing the 'Blame Clinton' saga. Sounds like the Bush Administration is trying to throw Clinton under the bus in this scandal. Here is some interesting facts:



The accounts were set up for about 20 Bush aides _ such as Karl Rove and his deputies _ who get involved in politics, spokesman Scott Stanzel said. Having the Republican National Committee create non-White House addresses and provide separate BlackBerries, laptops and other communications gear was designed to avoid running afoul of Hatch Act rules barring federal employees from engaging in political activities with government resources or on government time, he said.

Under President Clinton, White House aides used separate equipment for political spadework but did not have separate accounts.

"This is entirely appropriate," Stanzel said of the Bush White House practice.

Moreover, he said, all e-mails to and from the accounts have been excluded since 2004 from the Republican National Committee's automatic deletion policy, in which e-mails typically are expunged after 30 days.

More on the story.

The Clinton administration generally barred the use of outside e-mail accounts by White House officials, according to its internal policy manuals. It did allow the Democratic National Committee to install computer equipment inside the White House for political e-mails and related work, but not government work, said Melanie Sloan of the CREW and others.