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SALT LAKE CITY -- Last week, KSL reported a story in which nearly a dozen anonymous sources -- including some with strong ties to the FBI in Salt Lake City -- came forward claiming there were serious security breaches at that field office.
But James McTighe, special agent in charge at the Salt Lake office, is challenging the accuracy of the report and its use of nameless sources with unverified credentials.
McTighe rebuts allegations of security lapses that could jeopardize national security.
"There is a tremendous amount of scrutiny that takes place internally within this office, within the FBI, within the intelligence community, to ensure that we do things within the law," he said.
We in this office follow the same security procedures that are followed throughout the FBI. I'm confident that national security is not being comprised in this office.
–Special Agent in Charge James McTighe
In an investigation that spanned a year, multiple anonymous sources talked to KSL Investigative Reporter Lori Prichard about alleged violations of internal FBI policies.
"We in this office follow the same security procedures that are followed throughout the FBI," said McTighe. "I'm confident that national security is not being comprised in this office."
Some of the more serious source allegations were lax oversight of the agency's Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility and failure to enforce rules restricting access to classified documents.
"There was some information that unauthorized persons had access to our SCIF, our Secure Compartmented Information Facility. That's not true," McTighe said. "We take great care in ensuring that only those individuals that need access to the SCIF gain access to the SCIF."
Located on the top floor of the FBI office building, the SCIF houses some of the agencies most sensitive documents. But it's not just top-secret documents sources claimed were at risk, they claim information flows freely in the office, not on a need-to-know basis.
"Every employee in this office has a top-secret clearance. Every employee is briefed on security procedures and what we need to do to protect sensitive and classified information," McTighe said. "Every employee in this building, in this office, has the responsibility to ensure that this classified and sensitive information is protected."
McTighe says that classified documents do, in fact, leave the FBI building, but not because employees are taking them without authorization.
"There is a degree of trust that comes with doing the job that we do here in the FBI," he said.
Following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, the FBI was widely criticized for withholding information from other intelligence organizations and state and local police, a process McTighe says is much different now.
"The post 9/11 era really has changed this organization in terms of our desire to share information," he said. "We share by rule now and withhold by exception."
McTighe took particular issue with one source's claim of "corruption" in the Salt Lake office. He said that would indicate not only unethical but illegal behavior -- a claim he adamantly denies.
"We are not afraid of criticism. We have a responsibility to the public," he said. "I don't think that any officer in the FBI gains anything from trying to hide something that we're responsible for doing."
McTighe affirmed that regular audits would have uncovered violations of the sort alleged by the sources in the KSL report. He questioned the credibility of the anonymous sources on which much of the story was based.
He said the government has clear and effective protections for whistleblowers who come forward publicly to report violations of procedure.
Email:tvea@ksl.com
