By Jim Popkin and Libby Leist, NBC News
Two of the government contractors who accessed Sen. Barack Obama's passport records worked for a Virginia-based firm called Stanley, Inc., the company said in a statement. A third contractor who looked at passport information for Sen. Obama and Sen. John McCain worked for a company called The Analysis Corporation, the State Department said.
"Two Stanley subcontractor employees were involved in the unauthorized access of Senator Barack Obama's passport files," a Stanley, Inc., spokeswoman said. "In each of these instances the employee was terminated the day the unauthorized search occurred."
"While this is a rare occurrence, we regret the unauthorized access of any individual's private information," Stanley spokeswoman Joelle Pozza added.
Stanley, Inc., is headquartered in Arlington, Va. The State Department awarded it a contract for $164 million in 2006, to print and mail millions of new U.S. passports. Stanley announced on Monday that it was awarded an additional $570 million contract to "continue support of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs/Passport Services Directorate."
One Stanley, Inc., contractor looked at Obama's passport records on January 9, and then a second Stanley employee accessed similar Obama records on February 21, U.S. officials familiar with the controversy told NBC News. The Stanley spokeswoman would not identify the workers or explain why they had accessed Obama's passport data. The State Department Inspector General is now investigating.
Another contractor, who worked for The Analysis Corporation of McLean, Va., gained unauthorized access on March 14 to the passport records for Obama and McCain, a State Department spokesman said. That employee's employment status is pending.
Who are these contracting firms?
Stanley manages more than 1,800 personnel who work on State Department contracts, the company said, and processes over 18 million passports annually. "Prior to employment, Stanley and its subcontractor candidates undergo several background checks, including security and credit checks. Candidates are also subjected to a government-sponsored background check. In addition, candidates receive training on the Privacy Act and are required to sign a Privacy Act acknowledgement prior to starting employment," the spokeswoman said.
She added that her firm was not involved with two other unauthorized looks at two other candidates' passport records. "At this time we are unaware of the involvement of any Stanley or subcontractor employees in the unauthorized searches of Senator John McCain's or Senator Hillary Clinton's passport files."
The Analysis Corporation is "at the forefront of the fight to safeguard national interests" and is staffed with former intelligence-community heavyweights, the firm says. Its President and CEO is John Brennan, the former head of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) and the Deputy Executive Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from March 2001 to March 2003.
Stanley's 2006 Contract:
After the State Department awarded the contract to Stanley in 2006, the firm announced it would build a new facility in Hot Springs, Ark., to handle the massive contract. Arkansas governor and former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee expressed his delight that the new building would be located in his state.
"We're excited to welcome the State Department and Stanley to Arkansas. After working with the company for the past year to secure this contract, we believe this will be a successful long-term public and private partnership with the people of Arkansas," Huckabee said at the time.
Political Contributions:
According to federal campaign records, Stanley's Chairman and CEO, Philip Nolan, has made political contributions to prominent Republican candidates and also gave $1,000 to Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign on Feb. 20, 2008. John Brennan, the CEO of the Analysis Corp, gave $2,300 to Sen. Obama on Jan. 28, 2008, the records show.
--This posting was updated at 7:15 pm.
