President Obama mourned the passing of former Democratic national security aide Sandy Berger on Wednesday, saying that “around the globe, families and children are living healthier, more secure lives” because of Berger.
“Sandy Berger was one of our nation’s foremost national security leaders,” Obama stated. The one-time aide to President Carter and national security adviser to President Clinton “devoted himself to strengthening American leadership in an uncertain world.”
Berger advised Clinton during the Kosovo War and left government service to start a consulting service that eventually became Albright Stonebridge Group when his shop merged with that of former Secretary of State Madeline Albright.
In 2005, Berger was sentenced to probation, 100 hours of community service and fined $50,000 for illegally removing and destroying some classified documents from the National Archives.
“I deeply regret the actions that I took at the National Archives two years ago, and I accept the judgment of the court,” Berger said after his sentencing.
The documents he took, and some of which he returned, related to terrorist threats surrounding the changing of the millennium in 2000.
“Today, his legacy can be seen in a peaceful Balkans, our strong alliance with Japan [and] our deeper relationships with India and China,” Obama stated.
Obama said that many he mentored at the National Security Council continue his work. “I’m grateful to Sandy because, as president, I’ve benefited personally from his advice and counsel,” Obama stated.
Berger was 70 and died of cancer.
