Letter Questions Performance of FBI's Legal Attache Office in Saudi Arabia

Sen. Chuck Grassley, a long time critic of the FBI, has requested information and special reviews of the FBI Legal Attache Office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Grassley, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, made the request along with Sens. Max Baucus, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee; Orrin Hatch, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee; and Patrick Leahy, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"The performance of this office in particular is critical. We need to know how Saudi Arabia is helping us fight the war on terror. If the FBI's Legat in Riyadh is sub-par, we've got problems," Grassley said.

Grassley's oversight of the FBI began in the early 1990's. He has focused on the FBI's internal disciplinary problems in recent years after revelations of senior officials committing misconduct and escaping accountability through a double standard in discipline. He's also been concerned with the FBI's inability to prevent crime and terrorism rather than just investigating crimes after they have occurred.

Here is the letter.

May 19, 2004

The Honorable Robert Mueller

Director

Federal Bureau of Investigation

935 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, DC 20535

Dear Director Mueller:

We are writing to inquire and express concern about the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Legal attache office (Legat) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Specifically, we request that you provide copies of any and all Inspection Division reports, including special reviews, conducted of the Riyadh Legat office since it opened.

The performance of that office and its personnel has come to our attention for a number of reasons. Saudi Arabia's relationship to the United States is an important one, as is the FBI's relationship to its counterparts in Saudi Arabia. These Saudi security agencies have a wealth of intelligence and terrorism information that can be of great use to the FBI. At the same time, since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, significant and alarming information has come to light about alleged support for terrorism by Saudi Arabian individuals and organizations. In particular, the Senate Finance Committee is investigating terrorism financing, including the sources of funds, methods to distribute monies, and the performance of relevant agencies. Reported involvement by Saudi Arabian individuals and entities is a particular focus of the ongoing investigation. At the same time, the Senate Judiciary Committee continues to investigate allegations of retaliation and a double standard in discipline at the FBI. Agent Bassem Youssef, who has made such allegations, was interviewed by committee staff with FBI authorization. Agent Youssef was assigned to the Riyadh office from February of 1997 to June of 2000. Shortly after his departure, the performance of the office and its new personnel was called into question. We understand that at least one, and perhaps more than one, special inspection team was dispatched to investigate and evaluate the office's performance, separately from the periodic inspections of field offices and Legats.

It is our responsibility to conduct oversight of these issues and investigate and evaluate these reported problems, especially when the issues are of such public concern. Reviewing the inspection reports of the Riyadh Legat office is a crucial step in this effort. It is our understanding that these reports are almost entirely unclassified. If any portions are classified, we ask that they be delivered to the Office of Senate Security for review by us and our staff with clearance. Unclassified versions should be delivered to our offices.

Because this information is readily available for delivery and does not require research, we ask that you provide this information by Wednesday, June 9, 2004. We thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Sincerely,