The New Nation - Internet Edition

Agency, Washington

The US Department of State has launched an investigation into repeated breaches of passport files compiled on the three main presidential candidates. State department contractors viewed the files of Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, while a trainee accessed Hillary Clinton's file.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has apologised to all three candidates. US passport files include data such as age and place of birth, foreign travel records, and a Social Security number. That number can be used to obtain credit records and other personal information.

Two state department contractors have been fired and a third disciplined.

The case has raised suspicions that someone was digging for information that could be damaging to the candidates.

However, with breaches concerning all three contenders, the likelihood of political motivation is somewhat diminished, the BBC's Kim Ghattas reports from Washington.