Hacking of government files leads to finger-pointing, denials

WASHINGTON — Finger-pointing burst into the open on Capitol Hill Wednesday over blame for hacking into the U.S. government’s personnel records, which the chairman of a House oversight committee said might affect as many as 32 million current and former employees and others.

The head of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Katherine Archuleta, acknowledged to lawmakers that she was responsible for keeping the files safe but blamed the hackers, and an executive disputed an official account that hackers had used one of his employee’s credentials in one of the break-ins.

For Archuleta, it was the latest appearance before angry lawmakers demanding answers about the personal information, including information used for background investigations for those seeking a security clearance.

Archuleta said it was the responsibility for protecting records of her and her chief information officer, but she again sought to steer blame to the hackers, whom she described as a “very dedicated, focused actor.”

Across town, senior China diplomats were meeting with U.S. officials in the final day of meetings about strategic and economic issues.