James Zogby: FBI's Mueller Ridiculed Ashcroft Anti-terror Plans

During Justice Department meetings attended by Arab-American interest groups, FBI Director Robert Mueller was openly dismissive of proposals by Attorney General John Ashcroft to track suspected terrorists among America's Muslim community, James Zogby, president of the Arab-American Institute, claimed Friday.

Arguing that Justice Department counterterrorism programs requiring recent Arab immigrants to register with law enforcement are racially insensitive and a waste of time, Zogby told WABC Radio's Steve Malzberg and Richard Bey:

"FBI folks that we talk with, and we meet with [FBI Director] Mueller fairly regularly, they tell us when we say to them, what do you think about what the attorney general is doing? They roll their eyes."

Pressed on whether Mueller himself had rolled his eyes at Ashcroft's proposals, Zogby told Malzberg, "I'm telling you - that is the truth."

News that senior FBI officials may be less than enthusiastic about Justice Department directives that single out Muslims for extra scrutiny comes on the heels of complaints by an FBI field agent who accused bureau officials last week of threatening retribution if he appeared on TV to discuss an FBI scandal involving a Muslim FBI agent.

FBI Agent Robert Wright has alleged that fellow agent Gamal Abdel-Hafiz refused to wear a wire during a 1999 terrorism probe, saying that Abdel-Hafiz told him, "A Muslim does not record another Muslim." Though the Muslim agent denies the allegation, several other agents, as well as a former federal prosecutor who worked on the probe, corroborate Wright's story.

Instead of facing disciplinary action, however, Abdel-Hafiz was promoted by FBI brass to the bureau's office in Saudi Arabia.

On Tuesday, Agent Wright had to pull out of a scheduled appearance on Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor." He told host Bill O'Reilly that his superiors had warned the interview could result in retaliation.

Though Mueller's critics have complained before that he has been overly indulgent of Arab-American sensibilities, Mr. Zogby's account is the first suggesting that the FBI chief is openly disdainful of Attorney General Ashcroft's counterterrorism efforts.

ZOGBY: I want this job done and I want it to be done right. And I do not believe that John Ashcroft is doing it right. And therefore, if I raise questions, it is as a patriotic American doing his duty to say, as many in the FBI are saying, as this FBI whistle-blower from Minneapolis said just the other day, this is not being done right.

How stupid is it that the FBI doesn't have computers that network with each other? How stupid is it that INS and FBI don't have computers that network? How stupid is it that they get fingerprints at the airports, and John Ashcroft tells us, "Oh, we got the fingerprints and they go into this thing and whatever." And that is not true. They do not have the physical capability of doing it.

They are not finding the needle in the haystack. They are adding more hay to the stack and making the job of the law enforcement guys on the beat more difficult, not easier. FBI folks that we talk with, and we meet with [FBI Director] Mueller fairly regularly, they tell us when we say to them, what do you think about what the attorney general is doing? They roll their eyes.

MALZBERG: So, you're telling us that - you're telling us that Mueller rolls his eyes at what Ashcroft's doing when you meet with him?

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Zogby may be a liar, but the fact remains;
O'Reilly reported on Agent Wright's being warned off the program.. it happened.
"FBI Agent Robert Wright has alleged that fellow agent Gamal Abdel-Hafiz refused to wear a wire during a 1999 terrorism probe, saying that Abdel-Hafiz told him, "A Muslim does not record another Muslim." Though the Muslim agent denies the allegation, several other agents, as well as a former federal prosecutor who worked on the probe, corroborate Wright's story. "
Abdel-Hafiz WAS PROMOTED, and that IS FACT.

While claims of increased information sharing have been made, FBI, CIA, NSA, INS, Customs, Border Patrol, etc., have continually failed to show results consistent with said information sharing.
I believe Zogby on the issue of NETWORKING between federal agencies, there is none.
There is also no central federal database, dedicated to documenting criminal activities in the United States, nor has one even been considered, to my knowledge.

Nor have they shown any change in standards of conduct, policy, discipline, efficiency, with the INS standing out as the absolute worst federal agency to ever recieve federal funding.
Serious changes need to be made in all federal Law enforcement and intelligence agencies. It has become obvious that those changes cannot or will not be made by bureaucrats promoted from within those agencies.
Agency heads need to ANSWER to someone that can "Make Heads Roll" when those heads get too big, or fail to do their job, or overstep their authority.

Firstly, a thourough house cleaning is needed.
Get rid of administration heads in all of these departments.
Establish operational parameters for each department and hold them RESPONSIBLE. Failure to "toe the line" MUST result in dismissal and/or Jail Time, depending on the seriousness of the breach of conduct. Write it into Law, don't leave it to the "discretion" of department heads or congress.
Make all departments answerable to a central authority, such as Homeland Security. ( Additionally, rename HSA. Department of National Security or some such designation. )
Establish a Central criminal records and activity database, nationwide. This would solve Ashcroft's problem with State Prosecutors using the NICS system to check on criminal's attempts to buy guns, as all information on any criminal's activity in the U.S. would be documented and available to all law enforcement agencies. (with appropriate security classifications for more sensitive information involving national security.)

Enough ranting, I guess.
If You guys and gals don't like Zogby, fine.
I don't exactly care for him either.
But that's not the point.
Most of what was reported can be confirmed by seperate sources.
Don't throw out the message just because You hate the messenger.

Enough ranting, I guess.

....you said it better than most of us could.

If You guys and gals don't like Zogby, fine. Most of what was reported can be confirmed by seperate sources I don't exactly care for him either.

....I'm not fond of Zogby, and I have heard this from other sorces also!

But that's not the point. Don't throw out the message just because You hate the messenger.....Thanks for your thoughts.

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