Sibel Edmonds update: the FBI still has not adequately investigated her allegations of traitorous behavior among Turkish translators at the Bureau. From the Chicago Tribune, with thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist:
WASHINGTON — A former FBI linguist’s allegations of possible espionage involving a colleague are credible but still have not been properly examined nearly three years after they were made, according to a new internal Justice Department report released Friday.
In his review, Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine also concluded that the linguist, Sibel Edmonds, was fired in April 2002 in large part because of her whistle-blowing activity and that the dismissal could have a chilling effect on the willingness of FBI employees to report wrongdoing in the future.
The 37-page assessment documents a superficial inquiry marked by sloppy interviews, shallow research and an unwillingness to look beyond what the department’s investigators acknowledged was Edmonds’ sometimes difficult personality.
While making no judgment on the merits of her claims of serious security breaches, the report said they “were supported by various pieces of evidence” and that “the FBI did not, and still has not adequately investigated these allegations.”
In a statement Friday, the FBI said an investigation into Edmonds’ allegations is ongoing. It also cited an e-mail sent last summer to bureau employees from FBI Director Robert Mueller in which he pledged “his commitment to protecting from retaliation all employees, including contractors . . . who raise good faith concerns.”…
Edmonds was hired in late September 2001 as a contract employee to translate surveillance wiretaps that were in Turkish.
Some allegations valid
According to records from a lawsuit Edmonds filed to get her job back, she suspected that the co-worker, a Turkish linguist in Washington, failed to translate transcripts of recorded conversations involving people she knew, steered co-workers away from certain recordings and leaked wiretap information to acquaintances.
Edmonds also made other accusations that Fine said could not be substantiated. But he said most of the complaints involving the co-worker, who was not named and no longer works for the FBI, warrant scrutiny.
Mark Zaid, the attorney for Edmonds, said the report vindicates her. “Not only does the bureau owe her an apology but compensation for her termination,” he said.