Letter: Vandalism was overblown

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Friday, Oct. 17, 2003 | 9:22 a.m.

This is in response to William Oettinger's Sept. 30 letter regarding his interpretation of the General Accounting Office report about alleged White House vandalism during the transition from the Clinton administration to the Bush administration. There is a difference between a prank and vandalism. The report I read mentioned some traditional pranks but stated, "There is no record of damage caused by employees of the Clinton administration."

As Al Franken put it in his book, "Lies and the Lying Liars who Tell Them," the vandals were certain Bush administration officials and the right-wing press when they reported unfounded accusations that they knew were false.

The GAO report released in the spring of 2001 was detailed in several publications, including The New York Times, whose story was headlined, "White House vandalism caper was overblown." Salon.com also covered the issue with a story headlined, "The White House vandal scandal that wasn't."

MARIANNE LUPO