| May 2012 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | ||
From Ronald Kessler:
Contrary to the myth that FBI agents and CIA officers don't talk to each other, at the National Counterterrorism Center, FBI and CIA personnel sit side by side all day along. They discuss with each other the dozens of threats that flow into the NCTC every day and suggest leads that could be pursued by the appropriate agency. The FBI details FBI agents to the CIA and appoints CIA officers to top jobs in the FBI.
Because of the Patriot Act, FBI agents pursuing intelligence and those making cases leading to arrests can now talk to each other as well. Breaking down the so-called "wall" between those pursuits allowed agents to work together to dismantle the Portland Seven terror cell and to arrest individuals in the Virginia Jihad case, both investigations involving sensitive intelligence information.
While the FBI has made dozens of terrorist arrests by penetrating networks, it has also chosen to arrest suspects for minor violations like cigarette smuggling in order to avoid revealing sensitive intelligence leads in court. Thus, dozens of potential plots have been disrupted before they were hatched.
Under the aggressive leadership of FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, the bureau has become prevention-oriented, meaning it will do whatever it takes, within the law, to prevent the next attack. Before 9/11, many terrorism leads were not pursued. Now every lead is pursued, and the FBI has 10,000 ongoing terrorism cases.
"Today, we have an 8 a.m. sharing-of-threats meeting among the agencies," Joe Billy, Jr., the FBI's chief of counterterrorism, told me. "You have the White House hosting meetings two or three times a week, where we go up and lay everything out, and we discuss back and forth, what are you doing about it, what other agencies can help. I think the public would be very confident at the way their government is working this terrorism issue. It's not advertised, it's not publicized, but it's a long, detailed look every single day, seven days a week."
