September 23, 1999
Web posted at: 9:59 p.m. EDT (0159 GMT)

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In the wake of a string of miscues in high-profile federal criminal investigations, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott on Thursday announced the creation of a special task force to investigate whether the FBI and Justice Department have been "derelict in duty."

The task force, which will work under the auspices of the Senate Judiciary Committee, will be headed by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania). Lott appointed two other Republicans to the panel, Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa and Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina.

Lott said he also wants to include two Democrats on the task force. But the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, dismissed the investigation as partisan and vowed he would not participate.

"This is a Republican task force," he said.

The task force will probe the handling of investigations into the 1993 standoff at the Branch Davidian compound at Waco, Texas, alleged Chinese nuclear espionage and possible campaign finance abuses.

"We have a constitutional and an institutional responsibility to find out the answers to the questions that are out there in people's minds: What in the world is happening at the Justice Department? Why don't we have justice at the Justice Department?" Lott said.

High-profile miscues raise questions about FBI

The FBI's tacit admission this week that its investigation into alleged Chinese espionage was too narrow is just the latest in a serious of public relations nightmares for the nation's premier law enforcement agency.

Miscues in a high-profile murder investigation at Yosemite National Park, the bombing of Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta and the Branch Davidian disaster in Waco have raised questions about whether there are systemic problems in the FBI.

"There's a blunder a month and more like recently a blunder a week," Grassley said.

Yet, the agency and its director, Louis Freeh, still have the confidence of supporters on Capitol Hill.

"It's almost impossible to absolutely be accurate in every way. We've got the best FBI director we've had in my experience," says Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), who chairs the Judiciary Committee.

"They do a lot of excellent work," said Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tennessee) who attributes the recent miscues to "a lack of leadership at the Justice Department."

The Justice Department, headed by Attorney General Janet Reno, is technically the overseer of the FBI, although Freeh's post is independently appointed by the president.

Agency under heavy workload

FBI officials say assessing their agency is a difficult task in part because of its workload. As of August 31, the FBI had nearly 87,400 cases under active investigation.

The FBI says about 80 percent of its cases are successfully prosecuted. And bureau officials point to high-profile successes, such as capturing the bombers of the Oklahoma City federal building and the World Trade Center, the arrest of spies such as Aldrich Ames and a continuing attack on the Mafia.

Still, one former senior FBI official, Buck Revell, says perceived mistakes can have tremendous impact.

"The FBI depends upon the public," Revell says. "Public support is absolutely essential for it to carry out its missions.

Specter sends staff to Waco

Specter said he has sent two members of his staff to Texas to look at physical evidence in the Waco case. He also said he has talked with Charles LaBella, a former Justice official who criticized Reno's handling of the campaign finance investigation, about joining the task force's staff.

Specter also said he has discussed his investigation with former Sen. John Danforth, who was recently appointed by Reno to investigate questions surrounding Waco. He said he asked Danforth to hold off on interviewing witnesses for 30 days.

Specter said the task force will have subpoena power but within the auspices of the Judiciary Committee.

Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas contributed to this report.

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