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FBI Director Comey Warns of Hundreds of Furloughs if Sequestration Continues
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com FBI Director James Comey warned that he may have to furlough 600 employees if Congress doesn’t restore the bureau’s budget, the Houston Press reports. Comey also said he’d be forced to cut 3,500 jobs. The result could be disastrous, he said, because the bureau will have a more difficult time handling investigations….

Ex-Arizona Congressman Rick Renzi Gets 3 Years in Prison
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Ex-Congressman Rick Renzi of Arizona was sentenced Monday in Tucson to three years in prison for extortion, bribery, insurance fraud, money laundering and racketeering. His co-defendant, James Sandlin, was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison for his role. Renzi, 55, of Burke, Va., and Sandlin, 62, of Sherman, Texx….

Parker: Supreme Court to Decide Who Gets to Define “Mentally Retarded” for Purposes of the Death Penalty
Ross Parker was chief of the criminal division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Detroit for 8 years and worked as an AUSA for 28 in that office. By Ross Parker ticklethewire.com The cut-off IQ for the death penalty in Florida is 70 or less. Freddie Lee Hall scored a 71. He has been…

FBI, CIA Could Have Prevented Assassination of JFK Had They Heeded Warnings
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The FBI and CIA missed opportunities to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy by not taking seriously enough threats from Lee Harvey Oswald, according to Philip Shenon’s new book, “A Cruel and Shocking Act,” reports the Orland Sentinel. Days before the assassination, the president’s administration found a threatening note addressed…

Did Federal Agencies Miss Chances to Prevent Boston Marathon Bombing? Budget Cuts Delay Answer
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The government shutdown has caused more delays in a high-level investigation into whether federal agencies could have prevented the Boston Marathon bombings, the Boston Globe reports. The furloughs and budget cuts have bogged down inspectors general of four federal agencies who are conducting a wide-sweeping review. Before the budget hurdles, the officials…

President Obama’s Pick For Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Faces Tough Questions
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com To say Alejandro Mayorkas is on the hot seat may be an understatement. President Obama’s pick for deputy secretary of Homeland Security is already under an FBI investigation for allegedly exerting influence to help a political insider with a visa application, the Washington Times reports. According to the Times, he’s also made…

Obama’s Spiritual Adviser Reveals Heart-Wrenching Newtown Massacre Details
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter lined up students before unloading his rifle, according to a new book by President Obama’s spiritual adviser, Joshua DuBois, the New York Daily News reports. “The President’s Devotional: The Daily Readings That Inspired President Obama” describes the horrific scene at the elementary school. “How the gunman…

Homeland Security Agent Among Those Recovering After Shootout with Suspect
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A Homeland Security agent is recovering after he and five local law enforcement officials were wounded during a shootout Friday in suburban Sacramento, the Associated Press reports. The agent was hospitalized in serious condition this weekend after he was shot in the leg. Four of the officers were wounded by shrapnel and…