By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com
WASHINGTON — As expected, the Justice Department’s Inspector General report released Monday found that a number of FBI agents cheated on a test on bureau policies for conducting surveillance on Americans.
Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine says he found “significant abuses and cheating” and that people worked together or got answers to the open book exam in violation of FBI policy.
The report said more than 200 finished the test in 20 minutes or less and many of them received high scores. It said FBI officials who developed the test said it takes at least 90 minutes. Agents have told ticklethewire.com that the test actually can easily take three to four hours.
“The FBI should take appropriate disciplinary action against those employees identified by the OIG who cheated or engaged in inappropriate conduct related to the …. exam,” the report said.
FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III issued a statement in response, saying:
“An uncompromising commitment to integrity remains the backbone of the FBI workforce. It guides us in every aspect of carrying out our mission to protect the American public. When allegations of misconduct relating to the DIOG testing first came to our attention, we moved quickly to investigate, bringing in the Office of Inspector General (OIG).
“In cases where misconduct has been determined, personnel actions were taken, and that process continues. We will follow-up in each of the 22 cases the IG has found for disciplinary action, as appropriate, as well as any other allegations of misconduct.
“The vast majority of FBI employees successfully completed the DIOG training and the open-book examination that followed, in accordance with the test-taking instructions. While the Office of Inspector General has identified a number of factors that contributed to problems with the test-taking, nothing excuses the conduct of those who chose not to comply when instructions were clear.”
