WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley pressed for answers on how an FBI translator was reportedly able to travel to Syria and marry the ISIS operative who she was supposed to be investigating.
In a letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, Grassley sought information about how the romantic relationship developed without the FBI’s knowledge. He also inquired about any previous or newly implemented policies that could address incidents like this, about the screening process for hiring contractors and any reviews or disciplinary actions taken as a result of this incident.
Grassley also asked for an explanation of the Justice Department’s decision to pursue a seemingly lenient plea deal in light of the potential national security implications of this incident.
“This rogue employee had access to highly sensitive national security information. I’m troubled that a relationship between an FBI employee and a prominent ISIS recruiter went unnoticed, and more troubled that there wasn’t a safeguard to successfully catch this incident,” Grassley said. “It’s important for the public to understand how this happened and how similar problems will be prevented in the future. We also need to know how prosecutors settled on the charges in this case. A sentence of two years seems unusually light for such a potential threat to national security.”
Full text of the letter
