FBI To Revamp Background File Policy

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, June 14 ) -- In the midst of a controversy surrounding the White House's possession of 341 FBI background files, including some on prominent Republicans, the FBI announced plans to overhaul the system by which people request files.

FBI director Louis Freeh ordered strict new controls on the bureau's background files, while disclosing that the White House requested information on 408 people "without justification."

Freeh confirmed FBI General Counsel Howard Shapiro had compiled a 31-page report, saying on CNN that it made recommendations about new guidelines for requesting FBI files (224K WAV sound).

The inquiry indicated the FBI did not provide adequate security for the files, Freeh said.

Shapiro described the recent discovery of file requests "egregious violations of privacy."

The Washington Post reported today that the FBI wanted the new guidelines to serve as a deterrent to politically motivated requests, by making the penalties for such actions clear. The new regulations would make it illegal to make false claims about the purpose for the files.

A senior Justice Department official, quoted in the Post, said the rules would apply to all executive branch requests, not just those made by the White House.

A House Republican also wants a tighter policy. Rep. Steve Horn (R-Calif.), chairman of a House government reform and oversight subcommittee, said Thursday he will propose legislation requiring the president to sign requests for all FBI files sought by the White House.

Horn told a hearing he was angered "when I see the misuse of FBI files by White House staff, whether it's Nixon's staff or Clinton's staff."

The panel's parent committee will hold hearings next week on how the files were sent to the White House.

An opinion column by former FBI agent Gary Aldrich in Thursday's Wall Street Journal raised concerns about how the Clinton administration handled security issues, citing a history of premature background checks on staff members whose loyalty to the Clintons was in question. Aldrich was assigned to the White House for five years before he retired in 1995.

Aldrich claimed he tried to block unnecessary investigations, but was summarily told by FBI superiors and White House security chief Craig Livingstone to "mind my own business."

Livingstone is in charge of the department that requested the files at the center of the current controversy.

Clinton has denied having ordered the FBI files so he could "look for dirt," saying that he "never saw any indication in 3 1/2 years that anybody was trying to do anything like that, and if I had, I would not have tolerated that for a split second."

Meanwhile, the Clinton-Gore campaign worked to keep the controversy from becoming an uncontrollable campaign issue. Deputy campaign manager Ann Lewis distributed a two-page memo to Democratic allies, detailing "information to help you respond."

The memo countered the accusation that Clinton was compiling an "enemies list," describing the snafu as "an inexcusable bureaucratic error...not a political vendetta."

The White House contends the files, gathered in 1993 and 1994, were requisitioned to update security records. A junior military aide worked from an outdated Secret Service list, which explains why the files on Republicans were compiled, officials have said.

The Justice Department said the White House files were not raw FBI files but contained some confidential material.

FBI To Revamp Background File Policy

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