LIE DETECTORS BLOG & NEWS: NADAC GROUP

Report: FBI mismanaged spy claims

WASHINGTON - The FBI did not adequately investigate spying claims by a former translator who was fired after she spoke up about the allegations, according to a Justice Department report. Sibel Edmonds, who worked as an independent contractor for the FBI translating Middle Eastern phone conversations and other information, was fired after she told managers and co-workers about the alleged espionage. She claimed that workers in the translator program did shoddy work and may have engaged in acts of espionage. Edmonds said that an interpreter with a relative in a foreign embassy might have compromised national security by blocking translations and alerting targets of FBI surveillance. The report said the bureau did not properly investigate the claims and fired her solely because she was a whistle blower. Edmunds does not qualify for whistle blower benefits because of the nature of her contract with the FBI. Edmonds and the co-worker apparently passed a lie detector test, but the report classified the exams as 'not ideal' and said that follow-up tests were not given.