CDR: The FBI did naughty???

[George at Orwellian.Org]

Found this in Usenet, dunno an URL.

Check out paragraph two.

----

> FBI Agent Sues To Report Misconduct
> By Michael J. Sniffen
> Associated Press Writer
> Friday, Nov. 3, 2000; 5:56 p.m. EST
>
> WASHINGTON -- A 20-year veteran FBI agent went to court Friday seeking
> the right to report to President Clinton and key members of Congress
> what he considers serious and criminal misconduct by federal workers
> during a top secret, undercover national security operation.
>
> FBI Director Louis Freeh and Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder have
> denied agent Joseph G. Rogoskey permission to relay his allegations to
> Clinton, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and House and Senate
> committees that oversee the FBI.
>
> In a lawsuit against the FBI and Justice Department, Rogoskey said
> that as an undercover agent he "witnessed acts of serious misconduct
> and violation of federal law by employees of the federal government
> during the course of their employment."
>
> FBI spokesman Bill Carter said, "We understand all the allegations of
> government misconduct have long been appropriately addressed."
>
> Now on paid administrative leave, Rogoskey spent 12 years, 1987
> through 1998, on top-secret, undercover operations involving some of
> the government's deepest secrets that are accessible only to specified
> people.
>
> Rogoskey is barred from telling his lawyer, Stephen Kohn, any details
> of the operation or the alleged misconduct. Kohn said he understands
> only that "it doesn't involve anyone stealing money. It involves what
> they were ordered and permitted by the government to do in this
> operation."
>
> Like the FBI, Holder advised Rogoskey by letter that he should report
> "whistle-blower-type allegations" to internal FBI investigators or
> Justice inspector general agents who "have the appropriate security
> clearances."
>
> But Kohn said, "Keeping whistle-blower allegations within the
> institution that authorized the misconduct does not serve the public
> interest and raises grave constitutional questions."
>
> Rogoskey first reported his allegations to his immediate supervisor in
> late 1997, "promptly upon observing them," Kohn said. "We don't know
> if the FBI has fixed the problem," Kohn said, because Rogoskey has
> been on leave since the summer of 1998.
>
> Since making the allegations, the FBI has retaliated against Rogoskey,
> the lawsuit said. The suit said this included an allegation of
> misconduct against Rogoskey, of which FBI investigators cleared him;
> efforts by superiors "to call into question his integrity"; and
> recently threatening to fire him for medical reasons if he fails a
> fitness for duty exam.
>
> The FBI's Carter responded: "Any internal disciplinary or other
> employment problems Mr. Rogoskey may have experienced are completely
> unrelated to providing the earlier allegations."
>
> Kohn said: "Fitness reviews are extremely intrusive. They include
> psychiatric exams, interviews with his wife and examination of his sex
> life."
>
> A fitness exam was ordered of another FBI whistle-blower client of
> Kohn's, Frederic Whitehurst, the FBI chemist whose allegations led to
> an inspector general's finding the FBI Laboratory engaged in sloppy
> science and gave biased testimony for the prosecution.
>
> "Even though Whitehurst was found fit, the FBI tried to discredit him
> with material from the fitness exam," Kohn said.
>
> Kohn said Rogoskey has applied for workman's compensation because two
> doctors concluded he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder
> caused by his work. "He has work-related injuries because they kept
> him undercover too long and from the retaliation," Kohn said.
>
> FBI officials have said that agents who spend long periods undercover
> can suffer tensions from maintaining dual personalities.
>
> In the lawsuit, Rogoskey asked the U.S. District Court here to decide
> whether he can transmit his allegations to Clinton, Albright and
> congressional oversight committees, to bar the government from
> retaliation and to process his workman's compensation claim instead of
> ordering a fitness review.
>
> Because of secrecy rules, Rogoskey submitted his allegations in a
> sealed envelope to the FBI's publication review clearance board in May
> 1999.
>
> The agent had no publisher, wasn't seeking compensation and did not
> intend to publish the material for the general public, but wanted
> permission to send it to the named officials, Kohn said.
>
> FBI attorney Lyn Brown "denied the permission the next day by phone
> and said the information in the envelope should have been transported
> by armed guard." Kohn said. Freeh and Holder later upheld that denial.