FBI director uses terror-mission jet to fly to lectures

WASHINGTON, June 12: When the FBI asked Congress this spring to provide $3.6 million in the war spending Bill for its Gulfstream V jet, it said the money was needed to ensure that the aircraft, packed with state-of-the-art security and communications gear, could continue to fly counterterrorism agents on “crucial missions” into Iraq.

Since the 9/11 attacks, the bureau has made similar annual requests to maintain and fuel the $40 million jet on grounds that it had a “tremendous impact” on combating terrorism by rapidly deploying FBI agents to “fast-moving investigations and crisis situations” in places such as Afghanistan.

But the jet that the FBI originally sold to lawmakers in the late 1990s as an essential tool for battling terrorism is now routinely used to ferry FBI director Robert S Mueller III to speeches, public appearances and field office visits. In fact, Mueller’s travel now accounts for nearly a quarter of the flight time for the lone FBI jet able to make international flights. The Gulfstream V Jet is generally used by celebrities and chief executives.

FBI officials have acknowledged that Mueller’s use of the Gulfstream was a marked departure from the travel practices of his predecessors, such as Louis J Freeh, who flew commercially or used a smaller Cessna Citation jet. They pointed out, however, that Mueller’s aides first check with the counterterrorism division to make sure the Gulfstream is not needed for terrorism operations, and that the Justice Department approves each flight.

They also said that Mueller’s logistical and security advisers have urged him to use the plane routinely. “It’s not like he is the one checking the box for which plane he uses,” Assistant Director John Miller said. “He is the CEO of the FBI’s part in the war on terror. That means every trip he makes—whether to rally the troops in field offices, to negotiate agreements with partners overseas or to explain to the public the changing threats and solutions—furthers the operational mission of the bureau.”

But they also said that, on occasion, Mueller has used the jet to reach a Government function and then stayed behind for vacation, returning home aboard a commercial airline that lacks secure communications. Mueller designates his deputy, John Pistole, as acting director when he flies commercially.

Senator Charles E Grassley (Iowa), the senior Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, has expressed concern about the matter. “Using this FBI jet to get to speaking engagements when the plane is intended to help fight terrorism is a good way to lose congressional approval of a necessary resource,” he said. “If the FBI wanted a jet to fly the director around, then it shouldn’t try to justify the plane as a weapon in the war on terror.”

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