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CNN Saturday Morning News
The Novak Zone -- Interview With Robert Mueller
Aired May 03, 2003 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Following 9/11, the FBI changed its mission priorities to protecting the U.S. against terrorism, we all know that.
Robert Novak talked with FBI director Robert Mueller about the change in this edition of "The Novak Zone."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT NOVAK, HOST: Welcome to "The Novak Zone."
I'm Robert Novak at the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, D.C., headquarters of the FBI.
We are in the strategic information and operations center talking to the director of the FBI, Robert Mueller.
Mr. Mueller, the mission statement of the FBI now says your number-one mission is protecting the American people from terrorism. That is a change since 9/11, is it not?
ROBERT MUELLER, DIRECTOR, FBI: Well, we've always had the counterterrorism mission as part of our -- as one of our number-one priorities. But after September 11, it is the number-one priority. I think every agent understands that we have to look at any piece of information that may be out there and determine whether or not that piece of information can help us prevent another terrorist attack.
NOVAK: You came on board here as the sixth agent of the -- sixth director of the FBI shortly before the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Tell us some of the changes you have made since those attacks.
MUELLER: Well, I think the first thing we had to look at as a result of September 11 was recognize we had to have a national program to address terrorism, as opposed to addressing it on an office-by- office basis and looking at particular cases. And so accountability at headquarters was tremendously important.
In order to prevent the next terrorist attack, we have to do a better job with our information, analyzing the information and disseminating the information. And so we have not only put 500-plus agents from other programs into counterterrorism, but we also built up our analytical structure. We have new language specialists that we have brought on board.
We are transforming our information technology so that that information we gather can be analyzed, and, as I say, once analyzed, disseminated in ways that has not been done in the past.
NOVAK: Is it true that you didn't even have a modern computer system when you came on board?
MUELLER: We did not the type of computer system that you would like for supporting our agents, who do a terrific job. And we didn't have the database structures that we needed.
The last thing that is very important is that we recognize, in order to be successful, we have to work closely with not only state and local law enforcement agencies within the United States, but also our other federal counterparts, such as the CIA, and our counterparts overseas. And we have made substantial strides in each of those areas to work cooperatively with these entities and to share information.
NOVAK: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) you mentioned the local police. The local cops, especially the New York City cops, really complained that the FBI guys didn't give them information. You even see that in some of the fictional accounts on TV. Has that -- has your relationship with the New York police and other local police departments improved, do you think?
MUELLER: I think it (UNINTELLIGIBLE) improved tremendously. I think it actually improved over the years, but certainly since September 11. Law enforcement as a whole, the intelligence community as a whole, understands that the old ways of dealing have to be put aside, and we have to work very cooperatively together.
And I think we have made substantial strides. We have a ways to go, but we have made substantial strides since September 11.
NOVAK: On the question of protecting the American people, sir, do you think that today there are active sleeper cells, terrorist cells, in the United States?
MUELLER: Well, let me say, every month since September 11, I have become more confident in our ability to know what is out there in the United States, by shifting resources, doing a better job, analyzing intelligence. I think we now know far better than we did before what is out there.
What you always are uncertain about is that which you do not know. There could be groups of individuals, or individuals out there who have not come across our radar screen, who are there to -- sleeping, so to speak, with the expectation that at some point in time they'd be activated to kill persons.
But every month since September 11, I become more confident that we know what is out there. And at the same time, we have made remarkable strides overseas, in Afghanistan and Pakistan, in arresting terrorists and disrupting the terrorist network, so that I am more -- certainly more confident and comfortable than I was 18 months ago on our ability to know what is within the United States likely to strike us.
NOVAK: Due have any information that the al Qaeda is recruiting in this country right now?
MUELLER: Well, there are -- I think it's -- there are areas in which there are individuals who are seeking others, recruiting others, to go for training outside the United States, with the expectation that training might provide that backdrop for participation in a terrorist act in the future, yes.
And we -- on those individuals, we have open investigations, and we are pursuing them, hard.
NOVAK: The -- there's a -- been -- always been a controversy about the FBI, about whistle-blowers, that you don't pay attention to whistle-blowers, and, of course, the most famous was Coleen Rowley, who gave some information to the press recently because she said you didn't pay attention.
What is the FBI's attitude toward somebody who has a complaint in the bureau?
MUELLER: Well, every time I go out and speak, I -- the one -- to our offices, I say, The good news gets to the top. What I need to know are the bad news. I need to know that which out there -- that is out there that needs to be fixed.
And if there's a whistle-blower that comes forward immediately, I take the information and act on it. But at the same time, to the extent -- to assure that there is no retaliation, I refer any allegations of retaliation over to the inspector general.
I think whistle-blowers -- there have possible whistle-blowers, there are others that purport to be whistle-blowers, but the information that is provided can be useful and valuable. And we as an institution ought to take that information, determine whether we have stumbled, where we have, admit it, change it, and move on.
NOVAK: Mr. Mueller, there was a recent report of a woman named Katrina Yang, who was allegedly a agent for the -- paid $1.7 million by the FBI over 20 years to get information about China. She turned out to be, according to this information, a double agent who was giving our information to the Chinese.
What can you do to prevent cases like that?
MUELLER: We have recognized that the handling assets such as that, we have to do a better job in validating those assets. Last summer we put into a -- into a -- we put into a place an asset validation program that has a number of aspects to it that will prevent this happening in the future.
We also have changed our mission for the counterintelligence program. We also have made it a national program, as opposed to a program that is run out of various offices. And we are putting in place and have put in place over the last several months and year management reviews that will prevent this from happening again.
NOVAK: When I first came here as a young reporter almost 50 years ago, the -- all the FBI agents looked alike. They all seemed kind of pale, and they wore blue suits and thin ties and white shirts. Is there still a conformity of FBI agents, or is there more diversity now?
MUELLER: Well, there's tremendously more, tremendous more diversity, as well there should be. We also since September 11 understand that the bureau of the future needs language specialists, a specialist from various regions in the world, computer scientists for looking at weapons of mass destruction, scientists, engineers, and the like.
And so we have broadened our horizons in terms of those whom we are attracting to the bureau. We are also building up a cadre of analysts, PhDs with specific areas of expertise, that may not be agents as such, but will provide a different view of the world for the bureau.
But let me just tell you that the agent of 50 years ago was a person that had integrity, who worked hard and believed in service to the country. And it is no different today. The agents of the FBI have a huge amount of integrity. They believe in the country. They believe in serving their country, and they work exceptionally hard.
NOVAK: And now the big question for FBI director Robert Mueller.
Mr. Mueller, J. Edgar Hoover was a controversial figure, a heroic figure to many Americans for a long time. This building is named after him. Some people think the name of J. Edgar Hoover should be taken off this building. What is your opinion on that?
MUELLER: I haven't addressed that. I leave that to others. I think there was a tremendous amount that J. Edgar Hoover did for the FBI. Their are other areas that we don't want to replicate in the future, and I am comfortable looking forward as opposed to looking back.
NOVAK: Robert Mueller, thank you very much.
And thank you for being in "The Novak Zone."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 3, 2003 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Following 9/11, the FBI changed its mission priorities to protecting the U.S. against terrorism, we all know that.
Robert Novak talked with FBI director Robert Mueller about the change in this edition of "The Novak Zone."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT NOVAK, HOST: Welcome to "The Novak Zone."
I'm Robert Novak at the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, D.C., headquarters of the FBI.
We are in the strategic information and operations center talking to the director of the FBI, Robert Mueller.
Mr. Mueller, the mission statement of the FBI now says your number-one mission is protecting the American people from terrorism. That is a change since 9/11, is it not?
ROBERT MUELLER, DIRECTOR, FBI: Well, we've always had the counterterrorism mission as part of our -- as one of our number-one priorities. But after September 11, it is the number-one priority. I think every agent understands that we have to look at any piece of information that may be out there and determine whether or not that piece of information can help us prevent another terrorist attack.
NOVAK: You came on board here as the sixth agent of the -- sixth director of the FBI shortly before the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Tell us some of the changes you have made since those attacks.
MUELLER: Well, I think the first thing we had to look at as a result of September 11 was recognize we had to have a national program to address terrorism, as opposed to addressing it on an office-by- office basis and looking at particular cases. And so accountability at headquarters was tremendously important.
In order to prevent the next terrorist attack, we have to do a better job with our information, analyzing the information and disseminating the information. And so we have not only put 500-plus agents from other programs into counterterrorism, but we also built up our analytical structure. We have new language specialists that we have brought on board.
We are transforming our information technology so that that information we gather can be analyzed, and, as I say, once analyzed, disseminated in ways that has not been done in the past.
NOVAK: Is it true that you didn't even have a modern computer system when you came on board?
MUELLER: We did not the type of computer system that you would like for supporting our agents, who do a terrific job. And we didn't have the database structures that we needed.
The last thing that is very important is that we recognize, in order to be successful, we have to work closely with not only state and local law enforcement agencies within the United States, but also our other federal counterparts, such as the CIA, and our counterparts overseas. And we have made substantial strides in each of those areas to work cooperatively with these entities and to share information.
NOVAK: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) you mentioned the local police. The local cops, especially the New York City cops, really complained that the FBI guys didn't give them information. You even see that in some of the fictional accounts on TV. Has that -- has your relationship with the New York police and other local police departments improved, do you think?
MUELLER: I think it (UNINTELLIGIBLE) improved tremendously. I think it actually improved over the years, but certainly since September 11. Law enforcement as a whole, the intelligence community as a whole, understands that the old ways of dealing have to be put aside, and we have to work very cooperatively together.
And I think we have made substantial strides. We have a ways to go, but we have made substantial strides since September 11.
NOVAK: On the question of protecting the American people, sir, do you think that today there are active sleeper cells, terrorist cells, in the United States?
MUELLER: Well, let me say, every month since September 11, I have become more confident in our ability to know what is out there in the United States, by shifting resources, doing a better job, analyzing intelligence. I think we now know far better than we did before what is out there.
What you always are uncertain about is that which you do not know. There could be groups of individuals, or individuals out there who have not come across our radar screen, who are there to -- sleeping, so to speak, with the expectation that at some point in time they'd be activated to kill persons.
But every month since September 11, I become more confident that we know what is out there. And at the same time, we have made remarkable strides overseas, in Afghanistan and Pakistan, in arresting terrorists and disrupting the terrorist network, so that I am more -- certainly more confident and comfortable than I was 18 months ago on our ability to know what is within the United States likely to strike us.
NOVAK: Due have any information that the al Qaeda is recruiting in this country right now?
MUELLER: Well, there are -- I think it's -- there are areas in which there are individuals who are seeking others, recruiting others, to go for training outside the United States, with the expectation that training might provide that backdrop for participation in a terrorist act in the future, yes.
And we -- on those individuals, we have open investigations, and we are pursuing them, hard.
NOVAK: The -- there's a -- been -- always been a controversy about the FBI, about whistle-blowers, that you don't pay attention to whistle-blowers, and, of course, the most famous was Coleen Rowley, who gave some information to the press recently because she said you didn't pay attention.
What is the FBI's attitude toward somebody who has a complaint in the bureau?
MUELLER: Well, every time I go out and speak, I -- the one -- to our offices, I say, The good news gets to the top. What I need to know are the bad news. I need to know that which out there -- that is out there that needs to be fixed.
And if there's a whistle-blower that comes forward immediately, I take the information and act on it. But at the same time, to the extent -- to assure that there is no retaliation, I refer any allegations of retaliation over to the inspector general.
I think whistle-blowers -- there have possible whistle-blowers, there are others that purport to be whistle-blowers, but the information that is provided can be useful and valuable. And we as an institution ought to take that information, determine whether we have stumbled, where we have, admit it, change it, and move on.
NOVAK: Mr. Mueller, there was a recent report of a woman named Katrina Yang, who was allegedly a agent for the -- paid $1.7 million by the FBI over 20 years to get information about China. She turned out to be, according to this information, a double agent who was giving our information to the Chinese.
What can you do to prevent cases like that?
MUELLER: We have recognized that the handling assets such as that, we have to do a better job in validating those assets. Last summer we put into a -- into a -- we put into a place an asset validation program that has a number of aspects to it that will prevent this happening in the future.
We also have changed our mission for the counterintelligence program. We also have made it a national program, as opposed to a program that is run out of various offices. And we are putting in place and have put in place over the last several months and year management reviews that will prevent this from happening again.
NOVAK: When I first came here as a young reporter almost 50 years ago, the -- all the FBI agents looked alike. They all seemed kind of pale, and they wore blue suits and thin ties and white shirts. Is there still a conformity of FBI agents, or is there more diversity now?
MUELLER: Well, there's tremendously more, tremendous more diversity, as well there should be. We also since September 11 understand that the bureau of the future needs language specialists, a specialist from various regions in the world, computer scientists for looking at weapons of mass destruction, scientists, engineers, and the like.
And so we have broadened our horizons in terms of those whom we are attracting to the bureau. We are also building up a cadre of analysts, PhDs with specific areas of expertise, that may not be agents as such, but will provide a different view of the world for the bureau.
But let me just tell you that the agent of 50 years ago was a person that had integrity, who worked hard and believed in service to the country. And it is no different today. The agents of the FBI have a huge amount of integrity. They believe in the country. They believe in serving their country, and they work exceptionally hard.
NOVAK: And now the big question for FBI director Robert Mueller.
Mr. Mueller, J. Edgar Hoover was a controversial figure, a heroic figure to many Americans for a long time. This building is named after him. Some people think the name of J. Edgar Hoover should be taken off this building. What is your opinion on that?
MUELLER: I haven't addressed that. I leave that to others. I think there was a tremendous amount that J. Edgar Hoover did for the FBI. Their are other areas that we don't want to replicate in the future, and I am comfortable looking forward as opposed to looking back.
NOVAK: Robert Mueller, thank you very much.
And thank you for being in "The Novak Zone."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
