AShcroft; "I Wont Fire Mueller"

News Max ^ | June 2, '02 | Carl Limbacher & News Max Staff

[joesnuffy]

Attorney General John Ashcroft responded Sunday to the Wall Street Journal's call two days ago for the resignation of FBI Director Robert Mueller, saying the embattled bureau chief is doing a good job.

"Bob Mueller is a battle-tested veteran," Ashcroft told "Fox News Sunday's" Brit Hume.

"He was shot in the line of duty in Vietnam. [He's] got all kinds of - he knows how to operate under fire."

Ashcroft said Mueller is "renovating the FBI in very significant ways to refocus that institution with prevention as its priority, preventing war. And he's doing a good job."

The FBI chief has "totally reconstructed the [FBI's] counter-terrorism unit" and fired "about 25 percent of the bureau's leadership held over from the Clinton administration," Ashcroft said, adding, "These things are already done."

The Justice Department chief said that last week's announcement that the FBI would seek expanded surveillance powers was the second stage of the bureau's restructuring, which was, he said, "designed to help us do what the American people really want us to do and what we need to do. And that's to focus on preventing additional terrorist attacks."

[Stentor]

The FBI chief has "totally reconstructed the [FBI's] counter-terrorism unit" and fired "about 25 percent of the bureau's leadership held over from the Clinton administration," Ashcroft said, adding, "These things are already done."

Do they have enough broom closets into which they can kick the appropriate career people sideways?

[Miss Marple]

Look here! We keep hearing how Ashcroft hasn't removed people and here is evidence that he has done so!

[Grampa Dave]

Hum, 25% of the pink panty PC/diversity maggots inherited from the Clintoon/Jake Reno days are stuffed in the closests. A perfect place for them and the other card carrying PC/Diversity queens hired and promoted in the FBI from Feb 1997 to Jan 2001 and probably until Mr. Mueller was sworn in on 4 September 2001!

The big thing that the WSJ and other left wing maggot editors are not telling the American people about Mr. Mueller is a simple fact!

Mr. Mueller was sworn in as Director of the FBI on 4 September 2001. That was 7 days before 9/11.

What the Al Hunt scumbags who control the fishwraps are trying to do is simple.

They don't want the reality of what the Clintoon and Jake Reno did re 9/11 and their flunky FBI director, Louisa Freeh to be realized by the American public. So they are trying to electronically lynch Mueller who was on the job 7 days before 9/11. They are incredible scum bags who would destroy America if we ignore them.

Thanks to Guido for posting this data re Mr Mueller NOT BEING SWORN IN AS FBI DIRECTOR UNTIL 9/4/2001.

[BeAChooser]

So when are the FBI and Ashcroft going to START investigating the many serious crimes committed by democRATS in the last administration ... little things like election tampering, conspiracy to blackmail of Republicans and Congress, treason, murder and mass murder? These crimes pose more a threat to our system of government and our liberty than ANYTHING terrorists could do. So why the disinterest on Bush and Ashcroft's part?

[steve50]

If he won't fire Mueller he just as well forget about cleaning up the FBI. His first actions as head were to attempt to minimize and coverup for the good ole boys, that seems to be his history.

[bloggerjohn]

Firing Meuller would be totally wrong since he was only on the job a few days. Besides, since Ashcroft did cut anti-terror funding previous to that, he would have to fire himself, in all fairness.

[thinktwice]

I look forward to more good news in this regard.

Me too!!!

And Mueller himself was imressive on "Meet the Press" this morning.

Could the Wall Street Journal have been wrong in its editorial against Mueller this week?

[Cicero]

So he says. I'd be curious to know more details about who was fired and who was not. Is Lon Horiuchi still in charge of a sniper unit? And he's by no means their worst problem.

[Recovering_Democrat]

Bob Mueller took the oath of office on? Anyone know? (answer below)

September 4, 2001 Calls for his head on a platter are ridiculous. The guy had been on the job a WEEK when 9/11 hit. Plenty of blame can be put at the feet of Clinton/Reno/Freeh but who cares at this point? Let's just get the job done.

[Wild Irish Rogue]

Reno fired US Attorneys( political appointees),not Assistant US Attorneys( career federal prosecutors).The former are usually replaced,one by one,case by case, with a change in administrations -Reno went crazy and fired them all at once, which left many offices headless.I am not sure how many have been replaced,perhaps all by now,but it is being done.

[Asclepius]

... The Justice Department chief said that last week's announcement that the FBI would seek expanded surveillance powers was the second stage of the bureau's restructuring, which was, he said, "designed to help us do what the American people really want us to do and what we need to do. And that's to focus on preventing additional terrorist attacks" ...

A broken organization wants greater power? What was it that prevented the bureau from pursuing its leads prior to 9.11.? It wasn't lack of authority to surveill, was it? Wasn't it was obstruction from above?

Give us Meuller's head, please. That may send a message to the obstructers at every eschelon of power.

[alloysteel]

A most Herculean task, much like cleaning out the Aegean Stables, where no matter how fast the refuse was thrown out, even more would accumulate. Hercules' solution was to throw even MORE of the refuse INTO the stables, at which point the waste removed itself. What is most interesting about this tale is that the observations were made several thousand years ago, that the way to clean up a political mess was to pile it one until it reached a point of absurdity, and disappeared on its own.

[FloridaGeezer]

Mr. Mueller recently gave a speech to the ADL. I wonder how many speeches he has given to conservative Christian groups.

[Sabertooth]

We keep hearing how Ashcroft hasn't removed people and here is evidence that he has done so!

Yeah, and I recall reading that Clinton made a lot of DOJ positions that were once political appointments into federal union jobs, so they can't be fired. I think he might have even done this with the US Attorneys, though I could be mistaken on that point.

It'll take a long time to fumigate Justice, but specially-assigned offices with 15w light bulbs, no phone lines, and broken, empty desks would help.

ps. Not stalking you today, honest...
I happened across this thread and thought I'd post in agreement with you on something.

[Reagan Man]

I think tremendous efforts are under way, throughout all aspects of federal law enforcement, to protect and defend the American people, from every situation that could possibly arise and lead to some future terrorist attacks.

All the 20/20 hindsight wonders in the media, are nothing but knee jerk reactionaries and rush to judgment misfits, who are good at pointing fingers and bashing government officials, but not much else. (Come to think of it, theres a quite of few of those types, right here on FreeRepublic.) I don't remember anyone in the media, coming out and declaring an attack on the WTC was imminent. The media doesn't know anymore then the feds did. Face it, this was a well planned and executed attack by Bin Laden and his Al Qaeida forces.

All this connect the dots rhetoric, is just that, nothing but bold talk crappola, after the act has occured and after the facts are known.

As for cleaning out all the Clinton appointees, that's easier said then done. Especially, when one considers the facts. The last full two term Democrat POTUS, before 'der schlickmeister', was FDR. Eight years is an eternity in Washington-DC politics. Patients is a virtue. The bad eggs will be moved out asap. I trust Ashcroft and if he says, Mueller can get the job done, thats good enough for me. Besides, if there is another terrorist attack like 9-11, all hell is gonna break loose, no matter whose in charge.

[Askel5]

"about 25 percent of the bureau's leadership held over from the Clinton administration,"

Has he sacked 25% of the Bureau's leadership or merely sacked 1 out of every 4 Clinton holdovers?