White House Still Lacks Email Archive

The ongoing controversy over the potential disappearance of millions of White House emails stems from an inadequate archiving system that has not been brought up to snuff despite court orders to do so, the Washington Post reports. In fact, the White House scrapped a system put in place by the Clinton administration but has not replaced it.

As a result, millions of emails, including those written in the days leading up to the Iraq war, may be lost. "If it is a presidential record, then it does need to be retained," said a spokeswoman for the National Records and Archive Administration. "It doesn't matter what the format is." The White House denies malicious intent and says the emails still may be retrieved somehow. A House panel will hold a hearing on the matter Feb. 15. (More White House stories.)