A couple weeks back, I was listening to talk show host G.
Gordon Liddy spouting off about another scandalous incident involving the
FBI, and heard him say, "This never would have happened when J. Edgar
Hoover was in charge. His was a completely different operation."
It’s true, the FBI has suffered a series of deserved
public relations setbacks in recent days. Whether it’s the agency’s
collaboration in botched missions like Waco…with its immense toll of
innocent human life, the unnecessary sniper targeting of a young mother
holding her baby at Ruby Ridge, Idaho or the sloppy laboratory work exposed
by FBI whistleblower Frederick Whitehurst, the allegations keep hitting
their target like a point blank Uzi.
Now, we have another scandal to contend with. Ed Bradley and
the CBS 60 Minutes team have exposed massive FBI corruption and a trail of
19 bodies linked to a mob informant who was playing both sides of the street
at the same time.
The case involves one James "Whitey" Bulger, now
71 years old, who spent a quarter of a century pointing the finger at his
mob associates in exchange for "agency protection." While he was
busy implicating others, Bulger reportedly continued waging his life of
crime, engaging in everything from extortion and drug dealing to robbery and
murder.
At least one retired FBI agent claims the information Bulger
provided to the agency was not reliable.
Apparently, the FBI knew all about Bulger’s continuing
life of crime but refused to indict him and actually aided his escape when
other law enforcement agents were hot on his trail. One of Bulger’s FBI
handlers, Agent John Connolly has been charged with obstruction of justice
and racketeering by warning Bulger of his impending arrest.
Once Bulger headed for the hills, more than one million of
our tax dollars were spent trying to track down the fugitive from justice.
He remains at large, today.
This should prove to be another nail in the professional
coffin of FBI Director Louis Freeh. But somehow, I suspect that this case
will also be swept under the rug…with the rest of the dead bodies.
It’s getting awfully lumpy under there. And it doesn’t
smell too good, either.