STATEMENT
BY FBI DIRECTOR MUELLER REGARDING THE OFFICE OF
INSPECTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, "A REVIEW OF ALLEGATIONS
OF A CONTINUING DOUBLE STANDARD OF DISCIPLINE AT
THE FBI"
WASHINGTON,
D.C. - FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III issued
the following statement regarding the Office of
the Inspector General's Report, "A Review of
Allegations of a Continuing Double Standard of Discipline
at the FBI":
"I
appreciate the investigative efforts of the Office
of the Inspector General (OIG) and I welcome their
report. Last fall, I asked the OIG to conduct this
review of allegations by an FBI employee (1) that
disciplinary cases in the FBI's Office of Professional
Responsibility have 'disappeared,' 'vaporized,'
or 'been glossed over,' and (2) that the FBI systematically
favors senior executives over less senior employees
in its imposition of discipline. I requested this
review because it is important for the public to
have full confidence in the work and integrity of
the men and women of the FBI. After reviewing the
report, I am gratified that accusations of a double
standard were not substantiated, and that the OIG
found no examples of a case 'disappearing' or 'vaporizing.'
"As
part of our ongoing efforts to improve our discipline
process, in May of this year, I commissioned a comprehensive
review of the Bureau's Office of Professional Responsibility
(OPR). To conduct this study, former Attorney General
Griffin Bell and former FBI Associate Director Lee
Colwell were selected.
"Judge
Bell and Dr. Colwell are near completion of the
fact-finding process for this study. They have reviewed
voluminous documentation and statistical data regarding
matters involved in the OPR process. Additionally,
many employees, both current and former, participated
in interviews for this study and provided candid
and useful information for the review. We anticipate
receiving their report and recommendations in the
coming weeks and are committed to ensuring that
the disciplinary process within the FBI is fair,
efficient and credible. I have stated before that
employees must trust that allegations of wrongdoing
will be thoroughly investigated and that discipline
will be appropriate and fair, regardless of the
assignment or seniority of the employee involved.
"In
addition, since July 2001, an Assistant Special
Agent in Charge from the OIG has been detailed to
the FBI's OPR and has been provided unfiltered access
to all aspects of the FBI's disciplinary process.
This detailee is in a position to identify - and
refer to the OIG for investigation - any evidence
that OPR is applying a double standard.
"In
the 95 year history of the FBI, 'Fidelity, Bravery,
Integrity' has been the motto for FBI employees.
Nothing better ensures this standard than a fair
and equitable disciplinary process that applies
to all employees across the board. We look forward
to receiving the recommendations of Judge Bell and
Dr. Colwell, and working with the Office of the
Inspector General, to improve the process of our
Office of Professional Responsibility."
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