Political types from the State Department rummaged through Mr. Clinton's passport files - and his mother's.

Privacy laws prevent release of passport files without the subject's express permission.

She has also said that she told Mr. Rogers that the passport files had been tampered with.

Congressional aides say the legal opinion will hinder their investigation of the search through Bill Clinton's passport files.

Between 1992 and 1995, he looked into charges that Bush administration officials instigated an improper search of Bill Clinton's passport files during the 1992 campaign.

At some point, it was revealed that even my mother's passport files were searched.

Mr. Baker then learned that divulging the passport files would violate privacy laws, at which point he warned colleagues to abandon the search.

The conversations, which took place in the five weeks before the Presidential election, included discussions about Mr. Clinton's passport files, the officials said.

They do have time to investigate my mother's passport file.

There is nothing in it but what is in everyone else's passport file: the passport application form and supporting data such as proof of citizenship.