Grassley Comment on FBI Reorganization Plan


? Sen. Chuck Grassley issued the following comment regarding the organizational changes announced today by FBI Director Robert Mueller. Grassley is a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he has conducted oversight of the FBI since 1996.

"I appreciate Director Mueller saying today that he knows the culture of the FBI has got to change, and I was very glad to hear him acknowledge the valuable contribution made by Coleen Rowley. I hope the attorney general and director will let her testify before Congress soon so that her input can do more good.

"I get labeled as an FBI critic, but I'm just a person who wants to help the FBI succeed. If the FBI doesn't succeed in preventing terrorism, there's no hope and we'll have another September 11. So I'm concerned that with the ten-point plan presented today, the FBI doesn't seem to be giving much up. The number of agents reassigned to counter-terrorism is relatively small. The total number is still less than a quarter of the FBI's force. And, the FBI still plans to be involved in all its traditional operations.

"The FBI needs to let go of these areas and recognize that we've got a Drug Enforcement Administration, a Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, a Coast Guard, a Customs Service, the Secret Service, a Border Patrol and others at the federal level, along with state and local law enforcement nationwide, to handle these kinds of criminal investigations, arrests and prosecutions. The FBI has to concentrate on terrorism to get the job done.

"The credibility of the FBI and its leadership have been put a risk in recent weeks and the reaction has been to coverup rather than to come clean about what went wrong. Reorganizing the bureau won't make much difference if the FBI doesn't hold accountable those responsible for the mistakes. This doesn't need to be a witch-hunt, but the problems have to be fixed."