From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
Date: Thu, 11 Sep 1997 07:50:13 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Freeh says FBI doing great, supports Weaver killer
Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.3.95.970910162659.17580Z-100000@well.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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	WASHINGTON (AP) - FBI Director Louis Freeh today declared his
agency "in great shape" despite a recent spate of public relations
embarrassments and said he has no plans to step down from his job.
	Timothy McVeigh's conviction for the Oklahoma City bombing, the
capture of CIA shooting suspect Mir Aimal Kansi of Pakistan and other
recent successes have helped restore public confidence in the FBI, he told
reporters today.
	The agency's image has suffered in recent years in the wake of a
variety of controversies, including its conduct in the investigation of
the Atlanta Olympic bombing, allegations that its crime lab had mishandled
evidence and accusations that he had failed to fully brief the White House
on China's alleged efforts to contribute money to U.S. political
campaigns.
	"I think in large part that we're past it," Freeh said of the
FBI's public relations problems. "We will always be controversial. ... But
I think that how the FBI responds to those problems is what's important."
	In an April edition of Newsweek, an article quoted Freeh as saying
he had considered quitting his job.
	But today, Freeh said he may even serve out his 10-year term.
	"I'm staying on," he said. "I've got no current plans to leave."
	He also said the FBI is close to hiring a new assistant director
for the crime lab, choosing from a list of candidates that includes
"world-class scientists."
	He also said the FBI continues a vigorous investigation of a June
1996 bombing that killed 19 American airmen in Saudi Arabia, despite the
fact that Hani al-Sayegh, a Saudi dissident, had reneged on an agreement
to provide information on the case.
	"His reneging on that agreement is not a serious setback to our
own investigation," Freeh said.
	The FBI will continue to stand behind Lon Horiuchi, an FBI
sharpshooter charged last month by local authorities with involuntary
manslaughter for the shooting death of Vicky Weaver, wife of white
supremacist Randy Weaver, during a deadly standoff in Idaho, Freeh said.
	"We fully support him," Freeh said. "It was a horrible tragedy. It
was a mistake on his part, but we believe he was acting as he was trained
to do. He was within the scope of his authority. ... He reasonably
believed at the time that what he was doing was proper."