Sen. Chuck Grassley issued the following comment regarding the Attorney General's announcement today that the execution of Timothy McVeigh will be delayed. Grassley is a senior member of the Judiciary Committee. He has conducted
extensive oversight of the Justice Department and the FBI.
"It's upsetting that the FBI's failure to live up to its legal obligations in the McVeigh case has resulted in more suffering for the families of the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing. Timothy McVeigh confessed to this horrible crime, and it's unconscionable that the FBI didn't make sure it turned over evidence to the defense team in this case.
"If this were the first time that documents suddenly appeared, I might be persuaded by the FBI's computer theory. But I've seen too much to not have a very high level of skepticism. Until we find out what it is, we can't simply accept this explanation. We saw documents suddenly appear in the Waco, TWA Flight 800 and Wen Ho Lee cases. FBI careers are made in high-profile cases, and this is the fourth time in recent years where evidence has belatedly appeared. We have to be careful that withholding evidence is not done simply to win a case.
"The problem is an FBI culture that's focused on image instead of product. And the casualty in this case, as with the others, is the public's confidence in the FBI.
"With a new FBI director coming in there's an opportunity, and with yet another scandal there's a mandate, for someone to come in who will be committed to changing this style-over-substance culture. I sit on the Judiciary Committee, and I'm going to focus on whether or not the nominee understands that this culture exists and that it's got to change. I want to know that the next FBI director is committed to sweeping changes. There also has to be an understanding by elected officials that there will be enormous resistance within the bureau. We must change the FBI culture that has caused these colossal mistakes."