Sealed Documents It’s not surprising the U.S. Government may loose its AAA credit rating for the first time in the nation’s history. According to a report by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine, nearly half of FBI’s phone bills linked to operations was not paid on time. And as expected in every case of nonpayment, their operations were temporarily halted until they paid. The worst part is that these operations were related to homeland security, specifically wiretapping terrorist suspects. Richard Kolko, a spokesperson for the Bureau said “no evidence was lost because of the disconnections.”

Remember the widely reported story of the guy with the huge iPhone bill; well a single unpaid FBI bill totaled $66,000. And it seems the phone companies has no issues making good on disconnecting overdue bills, even if national security is at stake. So, at least we can take solace that even the government doesn’t get a break either.

This report is part of a number of independent audits on the Bureau spanning over seven years. The other findings include missing firearms and laptops. Currently the financial accounting model used was enacted in the 1980’s, with the FBI Assistant Director John Miller even noting that the system they are using is grossly outdated.

There are plenty of sources online to find some of the rigorous training and requirements required to join the FBI, but a past review of employee’s backgrounds may startle you. A review of 35 employees with access to the Bureau’s funds found half had personal bankruptcies or other financial problems. In June 2006, a documented court case in which a FBI telecommunications specialist pleaded guilty to stealing more than $25,000 intended for telephone services.

In its entirety, the 87 page audit of the Bureau is largely classified material, which was released on Thursday. The American Civil Liberties Union, critical of the wiretapping, filed under the Freedom of Information Act for the entire release of the report. National security policy counsel and former FBI agent for the group, Michael German, also believes the telecom firms are also allowing the FBI to conduct wiretap surveillances without warrants.

Beyond the legality of the surveillances, the management of taxpayer funds is deplorable. How do firearms and expensive computer equipments just disappear? And eventually these late payments are hurting the government’s credit rating, which hurts the economy. That lower score hurts the public due to the government’s decreased ability to find financing. And this will undoubtedly compound the foreign debt relief problem, which eventually will hold all of the U.S.’s debt.

In the end the double edged sword cuts us twice, the taxpayer funds go towards questionable practices, while at the same time those funds are being misappropriated by a lack of any internal accountability. The financial management ability shown in the reports gets a failing grade, and the public is left holding the bill.

source doc: the washington post

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