FBI nominee pledges IT upgrade

Robert Mueller, who President Bush has nominated to be the new director of the FBI, promised to fix the bureau's antiquated technology as part of his effort to restore confidence in the beleaguered crime-fighting organization.

"I believe there is a need to rebuild infrastructure, to upgrade the information systems and to upgrade the systems and procedures to integrate modern technology," Mueller said July 30 during confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"Every FBI manager indeed, every agent needs to be computer-literate. Not a computer programmer, but aware of what computers can and cannot do to assist them with their jobs," he told lawmakers.

The FBI has been reeling from a combination of high-profile blunders, including the loss of thousands of documents in connection with the trial of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and the loss of more than 100 laptop computers, including some containing classified information.

Mueller said that he would seek to fix such problems.

"If I have the honor of being confirmed by the Senate, I will make it my highest priority to restore the public's confidence in the FBI to re-earn the faith and trust of the American people," he said.

He noted, however, that the bureau is not perfect and that the next director faces "significant management and administrative challenges."

Several investigations into various FBI problems are ongoing. The Justice Department this month selected Andersen to conduct an overall review of the bureau's management structure and information systems. Meanwhile, the Justice inspector general is conducting several investigations, including one on the issues surrounding the loss of the McVeigh files. In addition, William Webster, former director of the FBI and the CIA, is leading a group that will make recommendations for improving the bureau's national security measures.

Mueller praised those reviews. "I believe these measures are an excellent start in a long-term process of modernizing the management practices of the FBI and, if confirmed, I look forward to receiving the recommendations of these various reviews," he said.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, listed the bureau's security and IT problems as one of three core problems. The others are management problems and the FBI's insular culture, he said.

Senators said that they expect Mueller will be confirmed.