News Story
Armed Intruder Makes It Deeper Inside White House Than Previously Disclosed
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Omar J. Gonzalez was armed with a knife when he managed to make it much deeper into the White House mansion than previously disclosed, the New York Times reports. The 42-year-old made it to the ceremonial East Room after overpowering a Secret Service agent inside the North Portico entrance. Gonzalez finally…
Retired FBI Agent Pleads Guilty to Fraud, Obstruction in Case of $54M Military Contract
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A retired FBI agent pleaded guilty to 11 federal charges of fraud, conspiracy and obstruction of justice after prosecutors say he tried to derail an investigation into a $54 million military contract, the Associated Press reports. Robert Lustyik Jr. was expected to start trail Monday in federal court but decided to…
Homeland Security Reaches Agreement with Washington Times After Improper Record Seizure
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Homeland Security reached a rare settlement with a newspaper after seizing a reporter’s notes and records from her home while executing a warrant for information on guns allegedly possessed by her husband, the Washington Times reports. The agency agreed to reimburse some of the legal bills accred by the newspaper and…
Republicans Accuse a Top DEA Official of Intimidation in Complaint to Inspector General
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Did one of the top leaders of the DEA intimidate members of Congress while discussing a prescription drug bill? That’s the claim by two Republicans – Reps. Marsha Blackburn, Tenn., and Tom Marino, Pa. – who say in a letter to the Justice Department’s inspector general that DEA Deputy Assistant Administrator Joe…
FBI Grieves Two Employees Killed in Boat Accident on Ohio River
By Steve Neavling tickethewire.com The FBI is grieving two of its employees after they were killed in a collision between a barge and a small pleasure boat in the Ohio River, the Associated Press reports. Investigators are still trying to piece together what happened late Thursday night in the river between Cincinnati and Newport, Kentucky….
Washington Post: Reforms Could Usher in Accountability for Border Patrol
By Washington Post Editorial Board Few federal government agencies have grown as quickly as U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which includes the 21,000 agents, double the number in 2004, who patrol the nation’s frontiers with Mexico and Canada. That growth has been accompanied by an alarming number of incidents involving the use of lethal force,…
Justice Department Wants to End Profiling Based Ethnicity, Religion, Sexual Orientation
By Steve Neavling tickethewire.com The days of profiling may be over for federal law enforcement, according to a report obtained by the Washington Post. The ban on profiling would apply to people based on their ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation. One impact of the policy, for example, would be prohibiting surveillance of mosques without proof…
President Obama Was Angry with Secret Service for Handling of Shots Fired at White House
By Steve Neavling tickethewire.com Although President Obama recently expressed confidence in the Secret Service, his actions may speak louder. Boston.com reports that Obama and his wife were incensed with the Secret Service’s handling of what turned out to be shots fired at the White House in 2011. The news comes a little more than a…