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FBI Director Louis J. Freeh announced today the disciplining of twelve agents for their misconduct in setting up rules of engagement, shoddily reviewing the incident that resulted in the killing of Vicki Weaver in Idaho in 1992, and other management misconduct.

The Director's announcement of numerous instances of significant managerial misconduct was refreshing because we rarely get admissions of misconduct. However, the announcement is disappointing because it left the impression that the facts surrounding this misconduct, and the facts surrounding the killing of Vicki Weaver, are still not being disclosed, and that responsibility for her killing is not being accepted.

The sanctions imposed upon FBI agents and managers that involve suspension without pay are significant sanctions for managerial misconduct.

But could the shooting of Vicki Weaver have been prevented? If FBI mismanagement and misconduct interfered in the prevention of her shooting, these sanctions seem to be hollow. The Bureau continues to insist that Weaver's shooting was proper, and the proper procedures were followed because the rules of engagement -- which were criticized today -- were actually disregarded by the sharpshooter and his commander. By labeling the shooting of Weaver as a tragic accident, the FBI is dodging responsibility for the principal outcome of the incident that the U.S. Marshal Service and the FBI helped to provoke.

The bureau might criticize its critics as "Monday morning quarterbacks," but the bureau today concedes that the FBI's internal "Monday morning quarterbacks" were inept and dishonest.

The announcement left the impression that the FBI and its spokesmen are still trying to hide the ball. The announcement failed to clarify the facts of the case. For example, Freeh's statement said, "Though the Shooting Incident Review Team investigation was thorough and complete, the analysis of the shooting and the conclusions reached were inaccurate and incomplete. Moreover, the report of the Shooting Incident Review Group was also seriously flawed, containing inaccuracies and invalid conclusions and the process employed to conduct the review process was inadequately documented." (p.6)

The FBI must make available the full record of its many reviews and investigations in this case, including the 500-page report mentioned in the Director's announcement.