Justice Department's inspector general to oversee FBI

The Justice Department will take the lead in investigating problems at the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced Wednesday. Ashcroft's decision gives the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General primary jurisdiction over any allegations of misconduct against FBI and DEA employees. Prior to Ashcroft's decision, internal offices at the FBI and DEA investigated such allegations, and the Justice Department became involved in cases only at the request of the attorney general or deputy attorney general. In a statement released Wednesday, the FBI said it fully supports Ashcroft's decision.

The FBI has come under fire in recent years, culminating recently in its failure to turn over all documents to lawyers for Oklahoma City terrorist bomber Timothy McVeigh, a controversy that resulted in a temporary postponement of McVeigh's execution. In June, the House Judiciary Committee approved legislation (H.R. 2215) that included an amendment calling for the creation of a deputy inspector general for FBI oversight within the Justice Department. Last Thursday, President Bush nominated Robert S. Mueller III, a U.S. attorney in California and a longtime Justice Department official, to head the FBI.