Probe Of Fbi Will Help Clear The Air

The Justice Department and FBI still don’t get it.

First, federal agents blundered into a 1992 firefight over a minor weapons violation that left three dead on Ruby Ridge, including a 14-year-old boy and his unarmed mother.

Then, the Justice Department stonewalled the release of a highly critical report about the confrontation that questioned the actions of high-ranking officials and the use of deadly force.

Finally, the FBI slapped a few hands, mildly reprimanding Weaver siege commander Larry Potts - shortly before Attorney General Janet Reno promoted Potts to the FBI’s No. 2 post, calling him “the very best the FBI has.”

Heaven help us if that’s true.

Potts not only mismanaged the Weaver standoff but also helped draft the plan for the Branch Davidian disaster at Waco, Texas, the following April that killed about 80, including 25 children.

Potts’ promotion is final proof that the Justice Department is trying to sweep its blunders under the rug and is insensitive to public opinion. Congress needs to clear the air with an independent investigation, as requested by U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, and other Northwest congressmen.

Eugene F. Glenn, Weaver assault site commander, underscored the need for an independent review last week when he accused the FBI of a cover-up intended to shield top officials, including Potts. Glenn called the FBI review incomplete, inaccurate and undercut by flaws that “reveal a purpose to create scapegoats and false impressions.”

Admittedly, Glenn has a bone to pick; as the main scapegoat, he lost his field command, received a 15-day suspension, and was reassigned to FBI headquarters. Still, his accusations shouldn’t be dismissed lightly.

The agency’s reaction to Glenn’s unprecedented breaking of ranks is typical of how it has soft-pedaled the whole investigation. The FBI’s general counsel criticized the charges as “absolutely irresponsible and destructive to the FBI,” which is absorbed in the Oklahoma City bombing investigation - with Potts in the lead.

The timing isn’t good. But the FBI is always busy with something. It shouldn’t use the horrific bombing to avoid needed housecleaning. What if Potts blows the Oklahoma probe the way he blew Ruby Ridge and Waco? Will he get promoted again?

The FBI has had ample time to clean its own house. It chose a cover-up instead, and that leaves no choice for the nation’s best interests. Congress must head off any further foulups by launching an aggressive, public investigation, now.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = D.F. Oliveria/For the editorial board