Current Events –
Sandy Berger, Clinton NSA Advisor, Dies
(Samuel) Sandy Berger, who served as a U.S. national security adviser to President Bill Clinton, has died.
Politics
During his time with the Clinton administration, Berger was heavily involved in U.S. relations with China, as well as advising Mr. Clinton on the NATO bombing campaign in Yugoslavia in 1999, the 1996 attacks at Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 Americans and the U.S. Embassy bombings Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. He was also a prominent player at the 2000 Camp David summit, in which Mr. Clinton tried unsuccessfully to advance the Middle East peace process.
Sadly, those accomplishments were overshadowed, when the Justice Department revealed in July 2004 that it was investigating whether Berger had removed classified documents and notes from the National Archives several months before his testimony to the commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
Initially, Berger claimed removing the documents in his attaché case and pants and jacket pockets was accidental, but he later admitted it was done deliberately.
Sandy Berger pled guilty to a misdemeanor, was fined more than $50,000 and given 100 hours of community service and probation. He also lost his security clearance. He was also forced to resign as a foreign policy consultant to Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry.
Despite his controversial past, Sandy Berger was widely praised for his commitment to America.
“Sandy was a consummate national security adviser because he embraced our common humanity and advanced our national interests,” former President Clinton said in a statement. “He was a terrific public servant and a world class human being. We will miss him.”
Secretary of State Kerry remembered Berger as “…a serious man, but also easygoing, with a dry wit, a ready laugh, a bone-crushing handshake, and the ability to offer thoughtful guidance on almost any subject under the sun.”
President Obama released a statement saying he had benefited from Berger’s advice.
“Today, his legacy can be seen in a peaceful Balkans, our strong alliance with Japan, our deeper relationships with India and China,” Mr. Obama said.
Born in Sharon, Connecticut, on October 28, 1945, Sandy Berger attended Cornell University and Harvard Law School. He worked for members of Congress and served as a U.S. State Department deputy director from 1977 to 1980. According to a statement from Albright Stonebridge Group (the consulting firm where he worked), Berger had been suffering from cancer. He died on Wednesday at the age of 70.
