Vindication

Today was a very significant day for CREW.

Last July, I received copies of e-mails that were purportedly sent by Rep. Mark Foley to a sixteen year old intern. As a former federal prosecutor who had handled sex crimes – including crimes involving minors – my immediate instinct was that something was wrong. Foley’s emails screamed sexual predator.

Like any trained prosecutor, my instinct was to turn the e-mails over to the proper authorities. That meant the FBI. I did it the very day I saw the e-mails – I felt that strongly. Expecting the FBI to handle the matter professionally, I didn’t give the matter much further thought until the scandal blew wide open two months later. Only then did I discover – much to my surprise – that the FBI had never looked into the emails at all.

Shortly after the story broke on ABC News, CREW immediately called for an ethics investigation of Foley and we posted the e-mails. We were repeatedly asked by the media where we got the e-mails and what we did with them. I gave the same answer every time. I told anyone who asked that I had provided the e-mails to the FBI back in July.

The FBI provided the media with a different version of events – a version intimating that CREW wasn't telling the truth. As someone who had worked in law enforcement, I was furious that the FBI would publicly lie about CREW’s actions, but lie it had.
So, CREW took the next step. We filed a complaint with the Inspector General's office at the Department of Justice asking for a full investigation into the facts and events surrounding both CREW’s and the FBI’s actions.

Today, CREW was vindicated. The IG found that the FBI should have taken some action when the agents received the e-mails. The IG also concluded that the FBI provided "inaccurate" information to the media about CREW. Not exactly news to us, but validation by the IG’s office is very important to those of us at CREW. After all, CREW is an ethics organization and a reputation for integrity is critical to our success.

It's not easy to get in to the ring with the FBI, but the Bureau challenged CREW’s (and my) honesty and credibility. That was worth the fight. And, in the end, the truth prevailed.

- Melanie Sloan, Executive Director, Citizens for Responsibility & Ethics in Washington (CREW)