FROM THE ARCHIVE

Marine 'straight shooter' tapped to head FBI

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JULY 6, 2001

President Bush tapped Robert S. Mueller III, a former Vietnam veteran and a long-time Department of Justice attorney, to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Thursday.

"Out next FBI Director has given nearly all his career to public service, going back to his days in the Marine Corps," said Bush. "As a lawyer, prosecutor and government official, he has shown high ideals, a clear sense of purpose and a tested devotion to his country."

Mueller, 56, currently serves as a US Attorney in San Francisco. If confirmed by the Senate for a 10-year term, he would replace former Director Louis J. Freeh, who suddenly resigned from the FBI last month after eight years of service under President Bill Clinton.

The FBI during Freeh's reign became known for its successes as much as its mistakes. From the intense prosecution of Los Alamos scientist Wen Ho Lee to the Robert Hanssen spy case to the document scandal which delayed the execution of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh by a month, Freeh leaves behind a number of cases which have left the American public and lawmakers wondering what went wrong.

Attorney General John Ashcroft has ordered an internal review of the troubled agency and the Senate Judiciary Committee is conducting its own probe of the recent mishaps. Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who will oversee Mueller's confirmation, referred to these problems in a statement yesterday.

"The new FBI director will inherit an agency with superb resources and capabilities, but it is also an agency beleaguered by a series of high-profile mistakes and by a culture that too often does not recognize and correct its errors," he said.

"I will be interested in hearing Mr. Mueller's views, his willingness to acknowledge and correct the bureau's problems and his ability to meet these challenges head on."

Mueller first rose to prominence during the elder Bush administration, serving as head of the Justice Department's criminal division. He then led the homicide division at the US Attorney's office in the District of Columbia.

After Clinton won the election in 1992, Mueller left to join Hale & Dorr, a Boston, Massachusetts, law firm. Three years later, he was back at the DC office and in 1998, he was nominated by Clinton to be US Attorney in San Francisco.

He came to the post with the the strong backing of the state's Democrat Senators, including liberal Barbara Boxer. Known for a tough management style which would be a key asset amid heightened scrutiny, Mueller is credited with turning around an office plagued with low prosecution rates and other crises.

"People who know him and work with him consistently mention his integrity and his fairness," said Boxer. "He is highly regarded by prosecutors and defense attorneys as an exceptionally capable 'straight shooter.'"

Bureau of Indian Affairs officials also gave positive reviews to the office helping crack down on the sale of Native American artifacts online. Working with the BIA, the National Park Service, and Internet auction sites like eBay and Yahoo! -- both based in northern California -- the office has gone after Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and eagle law violations.

Mueller served as acting Deputy Attorney General under Ashcroft up until May. He was one of three top contenders for the post, beating out George George J. Terwilliger III, a lawyer who advised Bush during the Florida election scandal last year, and Sterling Johnson Jr., a federal judge in New York who would have been the first African-American to head the agency had he made the cut.

Freeh, the 51-year-old father of six sons, cited his family as the reason for his departure. A staunch opponent of imprisoned American Indian Movement activist Leonard Peltier, he has not made public his immediate plans.

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Relevant Links:
Free Leonard Peltier - http://www.freepeltier.org
The Leonard Peltier File, FBI - http://www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/minn/peltier.htm
The Peltier Trial Transcripts - http://ishgooda.nativeweb.org/peltier/trial.htm
The No Parole Peltier Association - http://www.noparolepeltier.com

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