White House Says Missing E-Mail Is ‘Unintentional’

Blaming “entirely unintentional” computer breakdowns, the White House acknowledged Friday night that thousands of incoming e-mails on campaign fund-raising and other matters could not be searched in response to House subpoenas.

Reconstructing the incoming e-mails from 1996 to 1999 would involve a costly and time-consuming undertaking: up to $3 million and up to two years, White House counsel Beth Nolan wrote Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.), chairman of the House Government Reform Committee.

The Republican-controlled committee sought information on campaign fund-raising irregularities, the 1993 siege at the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas, and the presidential grant of clemency to 16 Puerto Rican separatists.

“We do not know if any responsive information is contained in the unrecorded e-mails,” Nolan insisted.

White House spokesman Jim Kennedy said the Clinton administration was not making a commitment to the restoration effort but would discuss the matter with Burton.

While researching the computer failures, another problem was discovered that could result in missing e-mails in Vice President Al Gore’s office, Nolan said. The scope of that problem was unknown.

“These configuration errors were the sole result of human mistakes and entirely unintentional,” the letter said.

The mostly technical letter did not address statements by a former White House contractor who said in court papers that she was warned not to reveal the e-mail problem that concealed the messages from the Justice Department and Burton’s committee.

The contractor, Betty Lambuth, said a subordinate told her some of the e-mails deal with “Vice President Al Gore’s involvement in campaign fund-raising controversies” and “the sale of Clinton Commerce Department trade mission seats in exchange for campaign contributions.”