Former FBI agent weighs in on future of bureau as criticism builds

After the Inspector General released a 500-page report on the FBI’s handling of the Clinton investigation, questions are being raised about the trustworthiness of the department.

“It doesn’t anger me as much as it does disappoint me,” said Robert Foley.

Foley worked inside the FBI for 20 years and served under former Director James Comey for two before becoming an attorney in SWFL.

When asked about the latest report from the Department of Justice, Foley says it certainly casts a shadow on the FBI. He adds that Comey’s decisions to go around agency policies and announce details on the Clinton probe were reckless.

But another major issue is the political bias involved. It’s something a number of agents involved in the investigation demonstrated.

“The bias did play into the investigation and I also think that that bias was what drove some parts of that investigation perhaps to go in one direction or another,” Foley said.

Now, he says the American people may question whether or not to trust information coming out of the FBI.

“There will always be doubt and there will always be concern as to whether or not the things that took place previously affected the outcome of that investigation,” Foley said. “It could affect public safety, it could affect the level of integrity in certain investigations if there’s less cooperation by the general public.”

So what’s the next step?

Foley says we’re already seeing the start of the fix by changing leadership within the bureau.

He adds that a review of current policies and procedures is also needed and we could expect to see major oversight from outside agencies for the foreseeable future.

Foley also says the FBI may need to put forth additional time and effort to make these changes, but he believes the bureau will rebuild its reputation as new leaders take their place.