The revelation that the FBI withheld evidence from defense attorneys in the Oklahoma City bombing case is only the latest in a decade of high-profile stumbles by the nation's top law enforcement agency, reports CBS News Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson. Sunday, lawmakers called for congressional hearings on the evidence foul-up, and Sen. Bush to appoint a special commission to examine the FBI from top to bottom. First, there was the standoff at Ruby Ridge in which the FBI killed a gun suspect's wife, who was holding a baby, and their year old son.
Then, the bureau was involved in the fiery siege at Waco that killed 80 Branch Davidians, many children among them. A special prosecutor found the FBI wasn't to blame for the incident, but it tarnished the bureau's reputation nonetheless. After those episodes, Louis Freeh was appointed to lead the agency, bring with him an extensive law enforcement resume.
But after arriving, he only made things worse, according to Ronald Kessler, who's written extensively on the FBI's problems. The bureau's lab came under scrutiny. He subsequently blaste the FBI facility for flawed scientific work and inaccurate, pro-prosecution testimony in major cases, including the Oklahoma City bombing.
Last year, an agent admitted giving false testimony against Wen Ho Lee, who was accused of passing nuclear secrets to China. Lee, a former Los Alamos scientist indicted on 59 criminal counts of mishandling nuclear weapons secrets, spent nine months in solitary confinement in a New Mexico jail. All but one count was eventually dropped. Hanssen, a counterintelligence agent with access to highly sensitive information, carried on his alleged spying activities for 15 years without being detected by his bosses.
Investigations are underway to figure out why. William J. Flynn William J. Burns J. Edgar Hoover L. Patrick Gray Clarence M. Kelley William H. Webster William S. Sessions Louis J. Freeh FBI. The FBI wouldn't comment.
