CREW vs. FBI

October 5, 2006

Way back on Monday, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) noted that it had obtained controversial Mark Foley emails in July, and, suspecting possible illegalities, forwarded the emails to the FBI. Like the House GOP leadership, there’s no evidence the FBI did much of anything to deal with the issue.

The FBI, facing political pressure, began an inquiry earlier this week, but CREW started asking the right question: why didn’t they take the issue seriously before there was heat from Congress? On Monday, CREW asked the Inspector General at the Department of Justice to investigate why the FBI did not pursue an investigation initially.

CBS News reported a possible answer yesterday:

The Justice Department told CBSNews that in July, when Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) provided the “innocuous” e-mails to the FBI, they were heavily redacted… The Justice Department also said that the FBI asked CREW to go back to its source and ask for more information so it could follow up, but CREW refused. That’s why the FBI, Justice said, did nothing further at that time.

If this were true, the FBI’s explanation might make sense. But to hear CREW tell it, the Justice Department blatantly lied to CBS. CREW has now accused the FBI of “providing misinformation to the public and the media.”

CREW provided the Foley emails to the FBI on July 21, 2006. Either the FBI did nothing, or they are covering up. Either way, their latest explanation to CBS is just wrong. There have to be answers:

Melanie Sloan, CREW’s executive director said today, “the FBI cannot have it both ways; either it failed to investigate the Foley emails because they did not rise to a level of criminal activity or because it did not have adequate information to do so. Pick one.”

It’s a growing scandal, but if the FBI is lying to reporters, it’s a fairly big deal.

It’s hard to understand the FBI’s perspective on this one. CREW brought the agency the information in July. Maybe the FBI decided it wasn’t a big deal; maybe there were political considerations. Who knows. Regardless of the circumstances, the FBI appeared to have the same reaction to the emails that the House GOP leadership did: whatever.

But now it seems the Justice Department doesn’t want to admit that, so it’s telling CBS, and in turn, the country, that it’s CREW’s fault for not wanting to cooperate with an investigation.

Why would CREW lie about something like this? Indeed, why would CREW not want to cooperate with an inquiry? The FBI tack doesn’t make a lot of sense.

“Attorney General Gonzales has told the public repeatedly that the investigation and prosecution of those who sexually exploit children is a top priority. We are outraged that the FBI failed to investigate Rep. Foley and is now blaming others for its inaction.

“It is time for all of those who had knowledge about Rep. Foley’s conduct to step up and take responsibility for leaving a sexual predator on the loose.”

From the beginning, CREW acted with the best interests of the young people who could be subject to predatory behavior by a sitting Member of Congress. Unfortunately, none of the authorities charged with that responsibility acted accordingly. This is outrageous and must be investigated.

Hastert’s and Reynolds’ fate is getting more ink right now, but this is an angle that deserves some follow-up.

So who does Hastert tab to investigate all this – Louis Freeh!!! Fricking hilarious. Could he not find a more conflicted person to inject into this mess??? Wow…what a clueless sloth of a human being.

  • OT, there’s something I noticed in the AP report of Hastert’s latest press conference: “Haster will ask the Ethics Committee to consider new rules punishing anyone who has inappropriate contact with pages. Staff members would be fired, and lawmakers would be subject to expulsion.”

    Once again, expulsion for grabby-hands, but not for grubby hands, like Bob Ney, who remains in office after pleading guilty to corruption.

  • A law enforcement agency, lying to the public? Well, I just couldn’t imagine such a thing. Next thing you’ll be telling me is that the government spies on its citizens and tortures illegally held prisoners. Not in the America I know.

  • So, a few days after the same “It’s no big deal…No wait, it is!” line didn’t work for the Refugs, the J.D. tries the same thing.

    Nice to know that even in the midst of a crisis some people stick to what they know best: 24k Incompetence.

  • Check me if I am wrong here but can’t the FBI launch an investigation and subpoena the emails from CREW? Under new Anti-Terror legislation, can’t they shove a red hot poker up Crew’s whatever until it squeels?

    If Crew sent them a redacted email saying something about a bomb I bet there wouldhave been followup. You can argue that a bomb is more urgent and important thatn possible naughty email but I don’t know.

    Something like I know you are gay and like to flirt with 17 year old pages seems like pretty good blackmail material to me. Hmmm…maybe that is how they keep the GOP in such lockstep -they are all gay.

  • Why is anyone even surprised at all of this? We are swimming in a sea of corruption and have been for a long time. I don’t know who to be more disgusted by, this corrupt congress or this corrupt administration. They have been so busy stealing from the people for a bull shit war, lying to the people about bull shit threats, and ignoring the people’s business for personal gain. They are willing to swap our bill of rights for an extra turn at the feeding trough. Is the FBI in their pocket? Apparently so. Nobody wants to rock the boat because the party has been so profitable, and it has been pleasant for them to act without any concerns for boundaries or limits. Our country is in big trouble people and our only hope is the next two elections. I wouldn’t pin much hope on the Supreme Court.

  • It is from numerous examples as the above that we Americans of good conscience and democratic faith need to take back our beloved nation from the likes of these authoritarian ne’erdowells who are clinging to power any way they can, at the very negative expense to our heritage and bodypolitik. Let’s go to the polls on November 7th and give the sick Republican party a vacation so it can rest and take care of its sordid leadership.

    Vote the Rascals Out in ’06 and ’08! -Kevo

  • There’s a reason why J. Edgar Tutu-Dancer’s crew of morons has been known as Fools & Buffoon’s, Inc. These idiots couldn’t find the zipper on their fly with both hands on a clear day with a 24-hour advance notice 40 years ago (unless you were a possible “commie”), and not one bit of the “reform” of the past 35 years has changed anything.

    If one wanted to get a federal law enforcement agency that actually worked, the way to do it would be to fire the lot of them and dynamite the Hoover Building, for starters.

    Actually, there probably are some good FBI agents, in fact I know three – but all of them are ex-agents who were basically run out of the place for being competent and wanting to actually pursue the real bad guys.

  • i seem to remember something about ethics classes and suchlike last november. oh wait–that was only for the preznit’s staff. never mind.

  • A couple of questions that CREW doesn’t answer though:

    1. Were the emails heavily redacted? I mean, there’s redacted and then there’s redacted. Did the FBI have enough to go on with what CREW provided them?

    2. Did the FBI actually ask CREW to go back to its source to get more information? Was this a reasonable request? If the request was actually made, what was CREW’s response? Did they actually refuse as the FBI says?

    Something’s obviously going on but I don’t know that these press releases give us any real information.

    If I submit an email to the FBI with redacted names, dates, etc., and then say “Investigate this!”, they’re going to say, hey, we need more information. Is that what happened here?

    My point is that I fault the Repubs for their outright lack of intellectual honesty so I don’t want to do the same here.

    That would make me a hypocrite and I’d have to start listening to Dobson and vote Republican.

  • If the FBI slacked on this issue, then the first question is, “Why?” Then the second question is, “who was involved, and who knew?” If this goes up to Gonzo and/or his lieutenants, or perhaps Negroponte and/or his staff, it implicates the administration. If it implicates the administration, it places a lot of GOP Senators in the precarious position of either voting to convict under House articles of impeachment sometime in ’07, or seeing every GOP Senator running for re-election in ’08 facing overwhelming primary defeats. It also puts the Presidency on a silver platter for whoever the Dem nominee is….

  • Steve: If this goes up to Gonzo

    please–i cringe whenever that word is used in connection to anyone apart from Hunter S Thompson, especially that fucking asshole alberto g.

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