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FBI Director Admits Mistakes in McVeigh Case
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Louis Freeh on Wednesday admitted the bureau made a "serious error" in mishandling of documents in the Oklahoma City bombing case.
"As director, I have taken responsibility," Freeh told a House of Representatives appropriations subcommittee hearing. "The buck does stop with me."
The FBI failed to deliver more than 3,000 pages of documents to the defense team of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh at the time of his trial, resulting in a delay of his execution for one month from Wednesday until June 11.
McVeigh, 33, was convicted in 1997 for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people.
Freeh said that as corrective measures, he has ordered eight management steps, including the hiring of "a world-class records expert," better training for new FBI employees and the creation of an office of records management and policy.
Freeh said that a total of 3,135 pages of misplaced materials were provided to McVeigh's lawyers last week.
Freeh recently came under sharp criticism from lawmakers for the FBI's mishandling of the documents in the Oklahoma City bombing case.
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