America Needs A Strong, Credible Fbi
FBI Director Louis Freeh took a good first step toward restoring his agency’s credibility last week by demoting Chief Deputy Larry Potts.
Of course, some argue persuasively that Potts should have been suspended for mishandling fatal sieges at Ruby Ridge and Waco, Texas - rather than assigned to an FBI training facility.
Errors by Potts, other FBI officials, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the U.S. Marshal’s Service partly were responsible for the deaths of a North Idaho mother and her 13-year-old son, 87 Branch Davidians, including 25 children, and five federal agents.
Attorney General Janet Reno’s promotion of Potts to the FBI’s No. 2 spot last spring, after a mild reprimand, was an insensitive mistake that needed to be corrected - particularly with congressional hearings on the Branch Davidian debacle set to begin today. And hearings on the Weaver siege scheduled for September.
Potts’ actions, and a possible attempt to cover some of them up, will be scrutinized.
Freeh’s demotion of Potts and his promise to U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, to cooperate fully with congressional investigations are a welcome departure by Justice Department officials. In the past, the Justice Department has stonewalled Craig’s effort to discover what happened at Weaver’s cabin.
The FBI’s belated help is crucial to clear the air.
In this day of domestic terrorism, America needs a strong FBI to protect it from extremists who think nothing of killing innocent bystanders to push their paranoid agenda. The fatal fiascos at Waco and Ruby Ridge, however, have made many wonder - and not just those on the far right - if government agents are too willing to kill also. And to lie. And to cover up for each other.
At the time of Potts’ appointment, evidence surfaced that he, despite his denials, changed well-defined rules of engagement and, as a result, sealed Vicky Weaver’s fate. Federal snipers were told to shoot to kill any adult seen in or around the Weaver cabin - a radical change from normal policy that permits agents to shoot only when fired upon.
Now, investigators are checking allegations that senior FBI officials destroyed records and misled authorities reviewing the siege.
With the third anniversary of the Weaver shootout approaching, it’s time for the Justice Department to come clean - totally.
, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = D.F. Oliveria/For the editorial board