Iowa senator Chuck Grassley was one of the questioners when FBI agent Colleen Rowley spoke to the senate judiciary committee yesterday in Washington. He notes her letter highlighted problems in the bureaucracy and he asks recommendations for streamlining. Rowley responds that she’d have to think more about how to remedy problems. Rowley says the attempts to investigate suspected terrorists before September eleventh weren’t the first time operations have been blocked by bureaucrats in the FBI. She said there are a few cases where it became disastrous and said micro-managing from above is the epitome of the worst problem, Grassley responded that she didn’t have to give details, his committee has looked into such situation in recent years. When Grassley asked if she thinks it will take money and computers to fix the FBI, or if there are changes that would improve the agency as well. Rowley responded that new computers would be “very nice,” but that she’s also suggested changes that wouldn’t cost a lot.
