Rove investigator accused of wiping data from office computer
www.yahoo.com 2007-11-29
The federal official who is examining Karl Rove's political activities is accused of deleting computer files during an unrelated investigation, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The paper says investigators are looking into allegations that Scott Bloch bypassed the Office of Special Counsel's computer techs and hired someone to "wipe" his government-issued computer while they were looking into reports that he retaliated against employees and ignored the claims of whistleblowers.
Bloch denies any wrongdoing. He tells the paper that he asked Geeks on Call to remove a virus from his "office personal computer."
"Geeks on Call visited Mr. Bloch's government office in a nondescript office building on M Street in Washington twice, on Dec. 18 and Dec. 21, 2006, according to a receipt reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The total charge was $1,149, paid with an agency credit card, the receipt shows. The receipt says a seven-level wipe was performed but doesn't mention any computer virus," the paper says.
It is uncommon for government officials to hire private companies to handle routine computer maintenance, according to the paper. Jeff Phelps of Geeks on Call wouldn't talk about specific clients, but he says the services provided to Bloch are not normally associated with a viral infection.
"We don't do a seven-level wipe for a virus," he tells the paper. Phelps is referring to the Defense Department's standard for destroying computer data so that it can't be recovered.
(editor : jane)
