By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com I have mixed feelings about a ruling last week by the U.S. Court of Appeals in Boston. The court rescinded an $8.5 million judgment handed down two years ago against the government in the 1982 murders of two people by James “Whitey” Bulger, a notorious Boston mobster who was an FBI…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — It’s a good thing that FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III hopped a plane to Arizona to deal with the aftermath of a mass shooting that killed a federal judge and seriously wounded a member of Congress. Sure, Mueller could have stayed back in Washington and gotten briefed regularly…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Some criminal politicians are disgraceful right up to the end. Take former Massachusetts State Senator Dianne Wilkerson who was sentenced Thursday in Boston federal court to 3 1/2 years in prison for taking $23,000 in bribes to help secure a liquor license for a nightclub and for legislation to grease the…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — Something seems terribly wrong when we see federal law enforcement agencies headed up for years by people who are “acting” heads. Michele Leonhart of the DEA was the acting head since 2007 — up until the end of December. Finally, just before the holidays, the Senate confirmed her appointment…
UPDATE: The LA Times reports that another former U.S. Attorney Thomas O’Brien of Los Angeles wrote a check Tuesday reimbursing the government for more than $900 in overages for hotels. Former U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan of Pittsburgh was also identified in the media as one of the five violators cited in the Inspector General…
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…
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…
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,…
