Allan Lengel, editor of ticklethewire.com, is a veteran journalist who has covered law enforcement at major publications including the Washington Post and the Detroit News. He also served as an intern under the late investigative columnist Jack Anderson and was an adjunct journalism professor at the University of Maryland.
The Nigerian Letter Scam Has Finally Found Me on Facebook
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — The Nigerian letter scam has officially arrived — at least in my case — on Facebook, the most popular social network. The other day I received a personal message on Facebook. This fella has a lot of money for me. Millions. He wants me to help him get the…
al Qaeda’s Gift to the U.S.: Incompetence
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — Al Qaeda and its associates may not be known as benevolent organizations, but they do give gifts. The failed “Underwear Bomber”. The failed “Times Square Bomber”. The failed “Shoe Bomber”. And now the failed attempt to deliver explosives on planes. All gifts. The U.S. should be grateful for these…
President Obama’s Comments Unfortunately May Reflect Attitude Toward DEA
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — President Obama is a busy guy with a lot of worries. So he might be excused when he commits a little Washington faux pas as he did last week during a town hall meeting with young people. While discussing “federal drug enforcement”, he mentioned the Justice Department and FBI,…
Cheating Scandal Shows Human Side of FBI
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — The FBI may be the nation’s premiere law enforcement agency — with a worldwide reputation — but in the end it’s made up of humans. And yes, humans do screw up. Over the years, we saw a drunk agent shoot up a freezer at a Las Vegas hotel. We…
The 2nd Anniversary of ticklethewire.com
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — Sept. 19th marked the second anniversary of the website ticklethewire.com. It’s been one interesting ride, starting up a new enterprise, trying to cover a subject I’ve had a fascination with since I started journalism. In the past two years, we’ve seen the good, the bad and very ugly. We…