By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Members of Congress are finding little reason to begin trusting the Secret Service again after a series of blunders and employee problems. The House Oversight and Government Reform committee discovered this week that Alvin “A.T.” Smith, who was ousted as deputy director of the agency, is still paid by the Secret…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A bipartisan group of congressional lawmakers leveled harsh claims against DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart on Wednesday, saying they had no confidence in her ability to lead the agency. The sharp words come a day after lawmakers learned that DEA agents received lax punishment for attending “sex parties” in Columbia, the Huffington…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The FBI and National Security Administration are on the verge of losing surveillance powers that were gained after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Authorities for both agencies are urging lawmakers to preserve the spy powers before the expire June 1, The Guardian reports. Some members of Congress want more surveillance reforms…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The partisan delay in confirming Loretta Lynch as the next attorney general is beginning to impact promotions and policy decision at the Justice Department, The Los Angeles Times reports. The delay has prompted DOJ officials to question whether to hold a major intentional meeting on cybersecurity this spring. “There is a…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The normally anti-marijuana DEA officially recommended that the federal government triple its production of almost 900 pounds of pot for research in 2015. The proposal, endorsed by DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart, is intended to provide a sufficient amount of marijuana to conduct research on the dangers and the medical benefits of…
The Buffalo News Editorial Board The good news – and it is good news – is that the FBI has made great strides in transforming itself since the 2001 terror attacks. In a new report by the FBI 9/11 Review Commission, the agency is credited with significantly improving the number of analysts qualified for their…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Senate Republicans want to know whether Border Patrol agents or Homeland Security officials were disciplined for refusing to follow President Obama’s immigration policies. Fox News reports that Republicans are investigating claims that federal managers are retaliating against employees who don’t follow the president’s order. “We are aware of multiple allegations of…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com If the FBI had its way, security encryption would be outlawed on cell phones. FBI Director James Comey is lobbying Congress to create a law that would require tech companies to “create a backdoor into any communications device that uses encryption,” Gizmodo reports. Only trouble is, many Congressional members don’t know…
