Freeh says FBI doing great, supports Weaver killer
WASHINGTON (AP) - FBI Director Louis Freeh today declared his agency "in great shape" despite a recent spate of public relations embarrassments and said he has no plans to step down from his job. Timothy McVeigh's conviction for the Oklahoma City bombing, the capture of CIA shooting suspect Mir Aimal Kansi of Pakistan and other recent successes have helped restore public confidence in the FBI, he told reporters today. The agency's image has suffered in recent years in the wake of a variety of controversies, including its conduct in the investigation of the Atlanta Olympic bombing, allegations that its crime lab had mishandled evidence and accusations that he had failed to fully brief the White House on China's alleged efforts to contribute money to U.S. political campaigns. "I think in large part that we're past it," Freeh said of the FBI's public relations problems. "We will always be controversial. ... But I think that how the FBI responds to those problems is what's important." In an April edition of Newsweek, an article quoted Freeh as saying he had considered quitting his job. But today, Freeh said he may even serve out his 10-year term. "I'm staying on," he said. "I've got no current plans to leave." He also said the FBI is close to hiring a new assistant director for the crime lab, choosing from a list of candidates that includes "world-class scientists." He also said the FBI continues a vigorous investigation of a June 1996 bombing that killed 19 American airmen in Saudi Arabia, despite the fact that Hani al-Sayegh, a Saudi dissident, had reneged on an agreement to provide information on the case. "His reneging on that agreement is not a serious setback to our own investigation," Freeh said. The FBI will continue to stand behind Lon Horiuchi, an FBI sharpshooter charged last month by local authorities with involuntary manslaughter for the shooting death of Vicky Weaver, wife of white supremacist Randy Weaver, during a deadly standoff in Idaho, Freeh said. "We fully support him," Freeh said. "It was a horrible tragedy. It was a mistake on his part, but we believe he was acting as he was trained to do. He was within the scope of his authority. ... He reasonably believed at the time that what he was doing was proper."
On Wed, 10 Sep 1997 16:28:27 -0700 (PDT), you wrote:
WASHINGTON (AP) - FBI Director Louis Freeh today declared his agency "in great shape" despite a recent spate of public relations embarrassments and said he has no plans to step down from his job. [large snip] The FBI will continue to stand behind Lon Horiuchi, an FBI sharpshooter charged last month by local authorities with involuntary manslaughter for the shooting death of Vicky Weaver, wife of white supremacist Randy Weaver, during a deadly standoff in Idaho, Freeh said.
Declan, just an observation, but have you noticed that the media seems to incapable of saying the name Randy Weaver without using the words white supremacist (or separatist)? Do you think this is deliberate or just a case of following a pattern set by others? -Doug ------------------- Douglas L. Peterson mailto:fnorky@geocities.com http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Heights/1271/
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- At 04:28 PM 9/10/97 -0700, Declan McCullagh wrote:
The FBI will continue to stand behind Lon Horiuchi, an FBI sharpshooter charged last month by local authorities with involuntary manslaughter for the shooting death of Vicky Weaver, wife of white supremacist Randy Weaver, during a deadly standoff in Idaho, Freeh said. "We fully support him," Freeh said. "It was a horrible tragedy. It was a mistake on his part, but we believe he was acting as he was trained to do. He was within the scope of his authority. ... He reasonably believed at the time that what he was doing was proper."
"Just following orders"... where have I heared that before? -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGP for Personal Privacy 5.0 Charset: noconv iQEVAwUBNBc5jpFhuMM5a8j1AQHsDwf9EOLhb709d7DqaSZrvtn0wcE+ykdtXpZb Ef354iJH96CrddW8oy/ENJ/KFe9jCBk62qrFaGyF99GUjkBDjMjvdshQAvCFOqP2 zEBGepjGc+sd5YgyB0wK5ZHWbVHN5V9gybaX0O0Ma2r0BFIAXynJ8k7KHF//EW2v PI4ogRGA6zJKkpzRRjAsBYPj5y2FhJnFrgLdudKZba2EjzQY0BQgVF0dlpizCLIp KvjsVreSYD8qTtT7wBHXOOq6gKWkrWRgQVZzlVFk55yoaTQeuszPNk7hx5loqEBW HJpVpxKMOWMiZXGx8nojc21lPxmZcJtHKSg2fTyCt56yGAYRwuEiwg== =CLgE -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- 9CC3 8D8B 9CA0 71EA < k.p at snet.net > AC7E A6F3 3A84 7BCA
At 5:22 PM -0700 9/10/97, Dave K-P wrote:
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
At 04:28 PM 9/10/97 -0700, Declan McCullagh wrote:
The FBI will continue to stand behind Lon Horiuchi, an FBI sharpshooter charged last month by local authorities with involuntary manslaughter for the shooting death of Vicky Weaver, wife of white supremacist Randy Weaver, during a deadly standoff in Idaho, Freeh said. "We fully support him," Freeh said. "It was a horrible tragedy. It was a mistake on his part, but we believe he was acting as he was trained to do. He was within the scope of his authority. ... He reasonably believed at the time that what he was doing was proper."
"Just following orders"... where have I heared that before?
Ah, but the difference is that we haven't yet seen Louis Freeh being led into the same gas chamber that the Israelis used to send Eichmann to justice. History is written by the winners. Had the Nazis won the Second World War, it would have been U.S. generals and leaders of the World Zionist Congress who would have have been tried and executed. Too soon to tell whether it'll be Freeh and Reno swinging from the end of a rope, or folks like us. I wonder how the SS at Stanford will react to my "Death Penalty for Waco Commander in Chief!" placard? (Such a placard being a free speech statement of what justice I expect for the Ruby Ridge and Waco Commander in Chief, not a personal threat.) --Tim May There's something wrong when I'm a felon under an increasing number of laws. Only one response to the key grabbers is warranted: "Death to Tyrants!" ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay@got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Higher Power: 2^1398269 | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."
participants (4)
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Dave K-P -
Declan McCullagh -
fnorky＠geocities.com -
Tim May