[Reactionary]

Even on the morning of 9/11 they refused to allow FBI agents in Minneapolis to search Moussaoui's hard drive, and the reprimanded the Minneapolis field agents for contacting the CIA directly.

This was after, mind you, the towers had been hit.

The French intelligence service had provided the FBI with information regarding Moussaoui's membership in Al Queda, yet the leadership would not allow field invesigators to hold him as a terrorist suspect (they actually arrested him for overstaying his VISA).

This stinks to high heaven. Either the FBI's incompetent or the leadership should be charged with treason. "They didn't understand the significance of his arrest?" My eye. They knew very well that Moussaoui was involved with a known terrorist group that had killed Americans. They were told so by the French intelligence service.

[mrustow]

It's a criminal sort of incompetence and caution, and it's been going on for a long time.

[mrustow]

Oh, and cronyism, lest I forget.

[ntrulock]

The point of the bonus was to reassure the good ol' boys in the Bureau that no matter how much bad PR they get, they will still be taken care of. Also sends a message to Coleen Rowley that the press can't protect her forever.