State Dept replaces top passports official

Posted: Friday, April 04, 2008 12:25 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: Security

From NBC’s Libby Leist
Two weeks after it was revealed that State Department employees were found snooping on five different occasions in the passport files of all three Presidential candidates, a State Department official tells NBC that the top official for Passport Services is being replaced.

The department intends to name a new acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Passport Services to replace Ann Barrett who will be stepping aside.

The official declined to offer an explanation as to why Barrett is being replaced, but the timing comes in the midst of a State Department Inspector General investigation into the passport breaches.

The individual set to take over as acting Deputy Assistant Secretary is Lawrence Baer. State Department phone records indicate Baer is currently in a management position in the Consular Affairs bureau.

As head of Passport Services, Barrett oversaw the massive passport backlog in 2007 when State Department production of passports went up by 50 percent. The department was widely criticized for not anticipating the increased demand for passports that occurred because of new travel laws put in place by the Department of Homeland Security.

Separately, President Bush announced yesterday that Janice Jacobs currently the second ranking official in the Bureau of Consular Affairs has been nominated to now head the bureau. The State Department maintains that Jacobs and her old boss Maura Harty were not alerted to the passport breaches until it was revealed on March 20.

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Comments

What took them so long?

Lisa, New Britain, CT CT for Obama (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 12:31 PM)

http://twocanpete.blogspot.com/
Why don't they just outsource the Department Head's job to India or China? I'm sure there's room for one more H1-V visa.

twocanpete (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 12:34 PM)

Just goes to show, we need a passport files security czar.

Paul Miller, Woodbridge, VA (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 12:34 PM)

Wouldn't it make sense to stop outsourcing state department jobs and hire 'real' employees and not 'consultants'? Wouldn't that increase accountability?

Just asking.

Carol, Long Valley NJ (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 12:37 PM)

j fl,
you posted on the previous item a line of reasoning that i thought warranted a response. you and others who support hillary may find it comforting to shred all men and call them sexist chauvinists simply because they don't happen to believe hillary is the second coming.

there are no doubt men out there who wouldn't vote for a woman for President. but they're a minority. the reality is that men who have supported Obama do so because they believe he is the best choice for our country's future.

you can continue to live in your carefully constructed land of denial or you can open your eyes and see what so many others are seeing, both about the potential for our country under Obama and also the destructive and cynical campaign that Hillary is running.

Reality Check (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 12:39 PM)

The passport "snooping" was done by an Obama supporter to convienently change the subject from Reverend Wright scandal.

Robin (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 12:40 PM)

Next. Please replace everyone that is in charge of OUR collective nightmare.......FAA head (inspectors cozy w/airlines), Commerce (census money wasting fiasco)....these people and thinking Republican's can manage the people's business is a sad joke.

Greg R., Spokane, WA (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 12:40 PM)

Vote Democratic 2008 -- don't let the corporations and their Republican stooges win again.

Carol, Long Valley NJ (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 12:45 PM)

Really, where's the proof Robin?

Lisa, New Britain, CT CT for Obama (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 12:46 PM)

Is anyone really surprised that another incompetent bushie has been exposed? Our guvment is run by bushies who couldn't make it in the real world so they decided to ruin everyones lives with their religious bred ignorance and incompetence...stay tuned for more from a mccain administration

Rick, NC (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 12:46 PM)

Joe Scarborough is the best thing on MSNBC. He is the only one that speaks the truth. The rest of them are all on Obama's payroll- Check and see what the godd ole boys at nbc donated to mr. Obama-

kevin (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 12:47 PM)

Robin,

Your statement is incorrect. There were 2 companies involved; one owned by an Obama supporter and the other by a Clinton supporter. Hillary's passport was snooped only during a training session. Ann Barrett was in the former Clinton administration White House.

Please get your facts straight.

Hoosier for Obama, Indy, IN (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 12:52 PM)

Unsecure and negligent "top official" would of been a better description..Trusted individuals like these in the passport office are libel for their positions.
Please explain what insurances of mistrust public officials umbrella themselves with...? as little as being replaced...where is the Justice Department's
role in pursuant to this case...?

BJ, CA (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 12:54 PM)

How is this news. I thought it was a forgone conclusion that all department of this administration were crooked. I really think even with a new administration we will find "meet the new boss, same as the old boss." There are no righteous men in government.

Pacheck, Huntington Beach, Ca. (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 12:57 PM)

KEVIN:YEAH GOOD OLE BOY IS THE RIGHT THING TO SAY ABOUT JOE SCARBOROUGH,CRAIG CRAWFORD AND PAT BUCHAHAN.ALL OF THESE BOYS ARE FROM THE DEEP SOUTH.

RENEA,PLYMOUTH,MI (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 12:59 PM)

I believe that the Clinton's snooped into the files. They are snooping everywhere and don't ever lose respect for them. I put them right up there with the mafia. Anything to win. Payday someday Hillary, let's see the files. As to Scarbrough, he is praying that Hillary wins so they can throw the book at her and the Republicans can win.

karen bourland overland park ks (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 1:05 PM)

Did I miss something? We never heard President Bush praising Barrett for doing a good job before her departure.

Maybe Dub learned something during his presidency...don't say someone's doing a good job when all evidence points to the contrary.

Pete - Albany, NY (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 1:05 PM)

More erosion of freedom on GW Bush's watch.

'Christian',

re: 'Bill remembers Ron Brown...'

Bravo for your noteworthy post which championed Rev. Wright's touching, and inspirational service to America. Thank you.

First Read,

Does'nt this man's legacy deserve a balanced hearing? Please help.

Pulling for Obama '08

donna, pgh., pa. (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 1:08 PM)

Privatization...yet another failure of Republican orthodoxy. How exactly does contract labor plus profit add up to better performance and lower cost than having government workers do the government's work? I have never seen a case of government privatization that didn't end in higher costs, worse performance, and usually some sort of scandal. Typical example right here http://www.kcci.com/news/8537885/detail.html .

John B, Des Moines, IA (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 1:15 PM)

Where is the Randi Rhodes story? All you Obamaniacs should love her now if you didn't already. I'm suprised MSNBC doesn't have a direct link to the Obama radio station as well

kevin (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 1:21 PM)

Barrett was part of the Clinton's administration. How long will it take for them to publicly announce this was all tied to the Clinton's. This is part of their kitchen sink. It is so sad that we all jump to that conclusion immediately because of the Clinton's unethical behavior in the whitehouse and on the campaign trail.

Wubbzy IL (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 1:26 PM)

Perhaps those that would like to ignore the fact that the "snooping" was done by a money contributing OBAMA SUPPORTER should go back and read the very articles that appeared on this very website. It was a deliberate redirection of public attention away from the Wright scandal plain and simple. BY THE WAY, WHERE IS MICHELLE OBAMA? Where is her speech saying that she agreed that the Reverends comments were incendiary, devisive, offensive, blantanly Anti-American and make her husband's electabilty questionable? Answer me that.

Robin (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 1:34 PM)

I would just like to comment on the recent backlash from the media and certain political figures that Hillary remaining in the race is hurting the party. I would like to put forth that it is not the candidates who are hurting the party, it is their supporters. Now, on this wall, Obama's supporters are much more vicious in their written attacks, but I am sure that Hillary has her own supporters who can be just as vicious (I, for one, am a Hillary supporter, but I try very hard to remain impartial on all candidates). So...in short, it is not the candidates hurting the party, it is the supporters and the endless onslaught of political pundits on the telly.

And please don't respond with a lame post about if Hillary would drop out, then her supporters would not have a reason to fight for her. I am fond of a little thing called democracy, and if we appointed candidates, there would be no reason for this mess to begin with. And then don't tell me that Hillary can't win without superdelegates...Obama can't either. And Hillary may win the popular vote once this whole thing is said and done, and that should count for something (or at least everyone thought so in 2000). We should let the process play itself out.

Jill F., Tulsa, OK (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 1:38 PM)

When do they get their Medal of Freedom and kiss and hug from POTUS?

Flat-earther, Georgia (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 1:47 PM)

I'm surprised they didn't put Alberto Gonzales in charge! Just replacing one incompetant bush lacky with another.

Steve A Jonesboro IN (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 1:48 PM)

I'm surprised Bush didn't tell the outgoing Passport official she was "doing a heck of a job"!

Class Warior, d.C. (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 1:54 PM)

Note that she was NOT removed for the gross incompetence in handling the passport backlog. My guess is that she was removed for not keeping the lid on the snooping; that makes Bush sense

nuanced (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 3:05 PM)

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