Others who helped the top Dem included former U.N. ambassador Richard Holbrooke and Jeffrey Smith, the former general counsel at the Central Intelligence Agency, according to the New York Times, which revealed Berger's involvement in Monday editions.

Guards at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., told investigators last summer that they saw Berger stuffing highly classified material into his pants and socks while the top Clinton aide was reviewing material for Bill Clinton's testimony, as well as his own, before the 9/11 Commission.

While Berger returned most of the material, he admitted that some of the secret documents had been destroyed.

It's not clear why Sen. Clinton would have turned to the disgraced former aide and risk conjuring up old doubts that neither she nor her husband could be trusted on national security matters.

Before it was revealed in December that a Sockgate grand jury had been convened, Deputy Attorney General James Comey suggested that Berger could face prison.

"We take issues of classified information very, very seriously," the top lawman told reporters in Washington. "All felonies in the federal system bring with them the promise of jail time. That's all I can say about that."

Editor's note: