James Comey’s tenure as America’s top cop has achieved the indubitable distinction of undermining the credibility of the FBI. But it seems he has had quite a bit of help from the rank and file – if the recently released Inspector General’s report can be taken at its word, that is. The OIG’s study of the Bureau is, in fact, a damning indictment of FBI officials engaged in payola.
It turns out that members of the news media have been buddying up to some FBI authorities and passing along plenty of perks in the process. In the real world, this is called bribery, or at the very least unethical conduct. In the Swamp, it’s called pratique habituelle – common practice.
Lost in the Shuffle
Buried in the OIG Report on page xii of the Executive Summary lies the evidence. “We identified instances where FBI employees improperly received benefits from reporters,” the summary states, “including tickets to sporting events, golfing outings, drinks and meals, and admittance to nonpublic social events.” These types of activities create a “cultural attitude” that is strictly verboten for FBI officials.
The Inspector General points out that the policy of the Bureau that restricts contact with the media is clear, but appears to be ignored in practice. News organizations are routinely given perks in which to use or to dole out as they see fit. Their seats at the ballgame are always behind home plate and tickets to the theatre are always in the VIP or orchestra section. And dinner? Well, if you do things right, you don’t often have to pay for food as a reporter. Such is the bounty of living the high-life in the Fourth Estate.
When these little sweeteners are passed on, there’s no telling what effect they may have on Law Enforcement. At the very least, one could say that such incentives are not going to make officials “on the take” hostile to the largesse of their patrons. Thus, it can and often does set up a quid pro quo. You give, I get.
Johnny wants to go to the playoffs, and the tickets are impossible to get, so he goes to his friendly news source to score them, and then just maybe he looks the other way next time there’s trouble. Or perhaps as payback, he feeds his media pals information that shouldn’t be dispensed. When reporters do get this material, it is commonly called a scoop. The Bureau calls them leaks. See how it all works together seamlessly?
Not Small Potatoes
So how many people are we really talking about here? Are we making a mountain out of a molehill? Regarding leaks, the IG report found that, “The universe of Department and FBI employees who had access to sensitive information that has been leaked is substantial, often involving dozens, and in some instances, more than 100 people.” And as for those on the take, IG Michael Horowitz estimates 50 agents scarfed up an estimated 300 free gifts – and that’s just the DC Feds. To use his word, the practice of accepting media goodies is “rampant.” Currently, there are 56 FBI field offices. In 2015 it was estimated that there were about 14-15 thousand special agents. Just running those numbers tells you there is potentially a lot of pay-for-play going on in the FBI.
So, it would seem the IG report has revealed just the tip of the iceberg, and suggests the following to combat a culture of payola within the Bureau: “The FBI consider whether (a) it is appropriately educating employees about both its media contact policy and the Department’s ethics rules pertaining to the acceptance of gifts, and (b) its disciplinary provisions and penalties are sufficient to deter such improper conduct.”
Certainly, all FBI agents should not be painted with a broad brush regarding these corrupt and unethical practices, but this is indeed troubling news. Any way you look at it, draining the Swamp just got a whole lot harder and broader – and vital.
