FBI honcho pulls plug on WND's performance-bonus probe.(My title)

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | June 10, 2002 | Paul Sperry

[Pern]

WASHINGTON – One of the highest-ranking women in the FBI, a deputy assistant to director Robert Mueller, killed a press-office review of the bureau's recent performance-bonus payouts on the same day she was cited by this newssite for recently receiving a large lump-sum cash award.

Last week, WorldNetDaily requested aggregate figures for performance pay for Senior Executive Service employees of the FBI for fiscal year 1997 through fiscal 2001. Bill Carter, head of the FBI's press office, agreed to research it, and handed off the request to a deputy.

But his deputy informed WorldNetDaily late Thursday that the project suddenly had been canceled.

"The decision was made that this information is not going to be made available to the public," said FBI spokeswoman Debbie Weierman, adding that she had "just received" the word.

Who pulled the plug?

"The decision was made at one of the highest levels," she said, "by one of the deputy assistant directors who would handle this type of information."

Pressed, Weierman disclosed that the decree came from FBI's administrative services division. Sheila W. Horan is deputy assistant director of ASD, which includes the FBI's performance recognition and reward unit, commonly known in the bureau as "PROW."

Horan was among several FBI bureaucrats named Thursday by WorldNetDaily, who got supplemental cash bonuses called "rank awards" over the past five years.

For service in 1999, Horan was awarded a lump-sum payment equal to 35 percent of her base salary. Deputy assistant directors make a minimum of about $120,000, plus a 10 percent adjustment for the cost of living in the Washington area.

Horan had worked more than 20 years in the FBI's national security division, rising to acting head of it.

But after Sept. 11, she was denied the permanent promotion after questions surfaced about her performance, particularly when it came to aggressively investigating counterintelligence cases.

FBI Director Robert Mueller recently reassigned Horan to the administrative services division, where she now supports investigations rather than supervises them.

"I can't believe she got one (a supplemental bonus)," said an FBI veteran who has worked in the counterintelligence unit here. "She's the one Mueller ran off."

Weierman could not offer a reason for keeping the performance bonuses secret.

"I wasn't given a reason," she said. "Just that those figures are not available to the public."

WorldNetDaily first queried the Justice Department for the data. Spokeswoman Jill Stillman, an FBI detailee in Justice's press office, said ASD keeps performance-bonus records, and she assured that they are public information.

"I don't know why it wouldn't be," Stillman said.

Many taxpaying Americans want to know to what degree the senior officials who crafted the FBI's much-criticized counterterrorism program have been financially rewarded. Those top officials include: Dale Watson, FBI executive assistant director for counterterrorism, and former deputy directors Thomas Pickard and Robert Bryant.

Yet the FBI has chosen to guard that information.

[Pern]

...who got supplemental cash bonuses called "rank awards" over the past five years.

This shouldn't suprise me, but it does. So let's see if I have this right, they totally drop the ball in almost every case they are involved in, and they get a 'performance bonus'? With the FBI's track record, you'd think they would OWE money.

I remember when I was in the Navy, working at the Personnel Support Detachment, Whiting Field, FL. The civilian government workers (mostly affirmative action hires) would get a 'performance bonus' for an award, usually 1-2k, while the military members got a medal, a MEDAL! Yeah, I really could have fed my family with a Navy Achievement Medal.

I'm seriously considering giving up my US citizenship and moving to an undisclosed island in the Caribbean and watch the US become a police state on sat tv.

[Donald Stone]

BUMP !!!!!!

[rdavis84]

"I'm seriously considering giving up my US citizenship and moving to an undisclosed island in the Caribbean and watch the US become a police state on sat tv."

Won't Work.

Retired CIA and FBI "leaders" already bought them all.

[cynicom]

The good ole boy system is alive and well at the FBI.. Now and again they let a good ole girl in on the gravy train.

Few days ago Gary Aldrich made a stupid statement on national tv. He said those people in FBI HQs did not want to be there, they would much rather be out in the field. I have to wonder if he worked for the same government system I did, where people would kill to make it up the ladder into Washington.

[Registered]

These are PUBLIC employees that should be required by law to face the cameras. I AM UPSET!

[Fred Mertz]

Spokeswoman Jill Stillman, an FBI detailee in Justice's press office, said ASD keeps performance-bonus records, and she assured that they are public information.

Well, which is it?

[Donald Stone]

I called the FBI Office of Professional Responsibilty in Washington D.C. last week or the week before and the lady that answered the phone refused to tell me who was in charge of the FBI Office of Professional Responsibilty.

I guess nobody at the FBI wants to take responsibilty or accountabilty for the operation or lack thereof for the FBI Office of Responsibilty,if it wasn't so serious it would be funny.

Nothing more pathetic than a group of CYA Washington D.C. career bureaucrats having lights shined on them and their names appearing in the media.