It must be extremely embarrassing and even more extremely aggravating for a former National Security Adviser to be caught figuratively with his pants down.

This was what happened to Samuel “Sandy” Berger when it was discovered that he removed classified materials from the National Archives Reading Room. For this offense, Sandy Berger pled guilty of the misdemeanor on April 1, 2005 and entered into a plea bargain agreement with the government which stipulates that he loses security clearance for three years and pays a $10,000 fine. The agreement was affirmed and validated by Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson on September 8, 2005 but with the amendment that the fine be increased to $50,000 instead of the initially agreed upon amount.

Who is Samuel “Sandy” Berger?

Sandy Berger was born in Sharon, Connecticut but was raised in Millerton, New York. He is an Ivy Leaguer through and through, finishing his undergraduate course at Cornell and his Juris Doctor degree at Harvard.

One year after he earned his Juris Doctor degree, he worked in Senator George McGovern’s presidential campaign group where he met Bill Clinton. From then on, he worked in various capacities for different public officials: New York Mayor John Lindsay, Iowa Senator Harold Hughes, New York Congressman Joseph Resnick, and U.S Secretary of State Cyrus Vance.

After gaining experience in public service, Sandy Berger shifted his career to private law practice. He was hired on by the law firm Hogan & Hartson. He ultimately became a partner of the firm and acted the firm’s international liaison and the head of the law firm’s international trade and expansion efforts. His extensive experience in public service stood him in good stead in negotiating favorable deals for the firm and its clients with foreign governments and administrations.

Sandy Berger and then Governor Bill Clinton picked up their association when the latter ran for President. Bill Clinton won and in his first term of office (1993-1997), Sandy Berger was established in Clinton’s administration as Deputy National Security Advisor. When Bill Clinton ran and won the presidency a second time, Sandy Berger became Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, succeeding the previous National Security Advisor Anthony Lake.

The Sandy Berger Scandals

As the president’s national security advisor, Sandy Berger became a natural target for criticisms, undeserved or not. For instance, he took flak for failing to surrender his Amoco Corporation stocks in November 1997 as he has been ordered by the President. Sandy Berger said he just forgot about it and paid $23,000 in civil damages for his neglect.

Sandy Berger was also censured when he failed to immediately inform President Bill Clinton about intelligence reports about the Chinese acquisition of U.S. nuclear warheads designs. This fiasco resulted in the failed call for Berger’s resignation.

The most scandalous wave, however, happened after Bill Clinton’s second term. The 9/11 commission was investigating the previous administration’s actions against terrorist attack threats to the United States. In his visits to the National Archives to prepare for his and Bill Clinton’s testimonies, he removed copies of classified documents from the Archive reading room and took them home.