Energy Chief Besieged Over Nuclear Security

[InfoSec News <isn () C4I ORG>]

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000622/ts/crime_nuclear_dc_32.html

Thursday June 22 1:05 AM ET

By Tabassum Zakaria

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, facing
calls to resign over a nuclear secrets scandal, said on Wednesday the
FBI had found no evidence of spying in the case of two computer hard
drives that disappeared at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Republicans demanded Richardson's resignation at a Senate hearing and
senior Democrat, Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia said Richardson had
shown contempt for Congress and would never again receive Senate
approval for government office.

Asked by reporters later whether he might resign, Richardson said:
``It's not an option.''

The two drives contained secrets on U.S., Russian, Chinese and French
nuclear systems to help a team of experts dismantle weapons in an
emergency such as a terrorist attack.

The hard drives contain design data on the size, shape, structure and
yield of nuclear weapons that could give countries seeking to build
such weapons valuable information.

The hard drives were found Friday behind a copier machine in a secure
area of the lab that had been previously searched twice. Richardson
told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that the FBI had
determined the two drives were the ones discovered missing last month
from the laboratory.

``Based upon the investigation by the FBI so far, which as I said is
ongoing, there is no evidence of espionage,'' he said.

``This could simply be a case of an individual who made a mistake and
was terrified to come forward because they knew how seriously the
department now takes security,'' Richardson said, pledging
disciplinary action once the facts are known.

Richardson, who was once considered a possible running mate for
Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore, said there was no evidence
the drives ever left the secure area of the laboratory. The FBI had
found fingerprints at the scene and on the external wrappings of the
drives, he said.

``I can also tell you that, according to its latest findings, the
FBI's working theory puts the loss of the drives at the tail end of
March this year,'' said Richardson, later giving the date of March 28.

Grand Jury Convened To Look At Case

Richardson said the investigation had focused on a ''handful'' of
employees in the lab's ``X Division'' who had given conflicting
statements. ``I can also tell you this morning that a grand jury has
been convened to examine issues related to the case,'' he said.

A federal law enforcement official said there were ''inconsistencies''
on polygraph tests for three or four employees.

The drives were found to be missing when two members of the Nuclear
Emergency Search Team (NEST) went to remove them from a vault on May 7
because of a wildfire threatening the area.

``I was frankly shocked as to how much information was contained on
there. The nature of the information would be helpful to terrorists,''
Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Richard Bryan, a Nevada
Democrat, said after a closed door briefing by Richardson and other
officials.

Bryan said while there was no evidence of espionage, it had also not
been fully ruled out. ``We do not know whether or not the hard drives
ever left the lab, we do not know whether or not any of the
information on the hard drives has been compromised,'' he said.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Shelby reiterated his
call for Richardson to resign. ``We need strong and consistent
leadership at the top. It appears that we don't have it,'' the Alabama
Republican said at the open hearing.

Shelby told Richardson pointedly: ``I think it's time for you to go,
to be accountable to the American people.''

Senate Armed Services Committee chairman John Warner, a Republican
from Virginia, told Richardson: ``Like captain of the ship you must
bear full accountability.''

Warner said he will introduce legislation establishing a congressional
commission to recommend whether a newly-created agency to oversee
nuclear weapons programs should remain within the Energy Department,
be transferred to the Defense Department or become a separate
independent agency.

The Energy Secretary is also under congressional pressure due to
soaring gasoline prices, and Richardson said he welcomed OPEC's
decision to increase crude oil production.

Richardson, whose department oversees nuclear labs, angered lawmakers
last week by not appearing at another Senate hearing, saying he wanted
to wait until he had more information.

Byrd said Richardson had shown arrogance by refusing to appear before
the Senate Intelligence Committee last week, and that the panel should
have subpoenaed the Energy Secretary.

Byrd said he was not calling for Richardson's resignation at this
point but that some members of Congress no longer had any faith in
him. ``You have really thrown away a treasure, that treasure being the
confidence of the Congress,'' Byrd said.

Richardson told Byrd he respected Congress. ``I think to say that I
have been contemptible is not correct,'' he said. ``I have great
respect for you, I have great respect for the Congress.''

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