"This FBI News Briefing is for the exclusive use of FBI employees. Access to this website is automatically granted from network addresses at FBI facilities."i don't think that it is an uber-secret or anything, but you can access the site via the magic of google's cache function. the service is offered by a non-fbi service, so i'm not sure we can divine any particular secrets from what they chose to offer, or how they choose to characterize a particular story or anything - but it's kinda fun to try.
Below i've listed all of the references that i could find. i noticed two things 1) the service picked up any reference to sibel, regardless of the source. normally they only quote the major media - but with sibel related stories, they'd report the most obscure references. This may not be surprising. 2) the service has a bunch of different categories - sibel usually appears under the first heading "FBI", although occasionally she turns up in Counter-Terrorism.
ftr - here are the headings from one particular report: FBI News, Counter-Terrorism, Counter-Intelligence, Criminal Investigations, Financial Crime & Corporate Scandals and Cyber Crime. (she only appeared in the first two, as far as i could tell)
(skip straight to the next post unless you are an avowed sibel junkie - but in the meantime, if you wanna see which stories the FBI sees as relevant in your favourite scandal - just add "site:www.bulletinnews.com" to your google search and use the cache feature)
the following are the stories in the FBI section (the links to each story are embedded in the (link)
FBI
* "Edmonds Suggests Turkish Groups Bribed Hastert. The news website WorldNetDaily (8/12) reports, "FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds, who sued the Justice Department, says she translated wiretaps of conversations between Turkish associations and the Turkish Consulate in Chicago mentioning bribes paid to House Speaker Dennis Hastert. The revelations come in an interview with Edmonds in the September issue of Vanity Fair." Edmonds is "asking the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether the court erred in dismissing her claims of wrongful termination based on the rarely used 'state secrets privilege.' By invoking the state secrets privilege, the Justice Department prevented Edmonds, a former translator, from airing in court her allegations that the bureau fired her for reporting serious security breaches and possible espionage." (link)
* DOJ Contends Edmonds Suit Will Damage National Security. The New York Times (2/26, Files) reports DOJ attorneys on Thursday said in a US district court filing that the lawsuit filed against the FBI by former translator Sibel Edmonds "should not be allowed to proceed because it would cause 'significant damage to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.'" However, the Times adds, ACLU lawyer Ben Wizner said, "The effect of the government's posture in this case will be to discourage national security whistle-blowers." The Times notes that IG Glenn Fine "concluded last month that the FBI had failed to aggressively investigate Ms. Edmonds's accusations of espionage and fired her in large part for raising them." (link)
* FBI Whistleblower Edmonds Appeals Dismissal To Supreme Court. Cox News Service (8/6, Carr) reports, "FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether a lower court erred in dismissing her claims of wrongful termination based on the rarely used 'state secrets privilege.' By invoking the 'state secrets privilege,' the Justice Department prevented Edmonds, a former language translator, from airing in court her allegations that the bureau fired her for reporting serious security breaches and possible espionage." Cox adds, "The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled in May that Edmonds could jeopardize national security if her case proceeded. ... But the state secret privilege was created by the high court 52 years ago to be used as 'a shield for sensitive evidence, not a sword the government can use at will to cut off argument in a case,' said Ann Beeson, who represents Edmonds as the associate legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union." (link)
* DC Circuit Closes Edmonds Proceeding To Public. The Washington Post (4/21, A6, Lane) and AP (4/21, Yost) report the DC Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday ruled that today's oral arguments in the Sibel Edmonds lawsuit will be closed to the public. Both note Edmonds's allegation that the FBI fired her in retaliation for her claims of shoddy translations and reiterate the findings of the IG investigation into the case. The Post adds ACLU attorney Arthur Spitzer "said that he will file an emergency motion urging withdrawal of the...order, which he said is unconstitutional. ... The Washington Post and 12 other media organizations also filed an emergency motion urging the court to open the arguments." The AP notes "The inspector general concluded that the FBI did not adequately investigate the allegations and that Edmonds was retaliated against for speaking out. The FBI has said it fired Edmonds because she committed security violations and disrupted her office." (link)
* Appellate Panel Upholds Dismissal Of Edmonds Lawsuit. The New York Times (5/7) and Washington Post /AP (5/7, A5) report the DC US District Court of Appeals on Friday upheld the dismissal of former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds's lawsuit against the bureau and DOJ. Edmonds plans to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. Both stories note the earlier DOJ IG's report criticizing the bureau's translation effort in light of Edmonds's allegations. The Times reports the ruling "effectively ends the suit," and adds, "A lawyer for Ms. Edmonds, Ann Beeson, said in a telephone interview: 'This vast expansion of the state secret privilege by the government makes us less safe, not more. If government employees cannot report security breaches without retaliation, then American national security suffers.'" (link)
* "DC Circuit Court Refuses To Open Edmonds Proceeding. The AP (4/22) reports the DC Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday "turned aside efforts to open to the public closed-door arguments" in former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds's wrongful firing lawsuit." The AP notes, "Edmonds says she was dismissed from her job as a wiretap translator because she told superiors she suspected a co-worker was leaking information to targets of an ongoing FBI investigation. The FBI has said it fired Edmonds...because she committed security violations and disrupted her office."" (link)
* Led By Edmonds, Former Agents, Whistleblowers Call For More Protections. The Washington Post (4/29, B2, Barr) reports in its "Federal Diary" column, "A group of more than 50 whistle-blowers called on Congress yesterday to strengthen protections against retaliation by federal agencies when employees expose improper activities or mistakes that could damage homeland and national security." The Post notes, "Sibel Edmonds, a former FBI language specialist, has taken the lead in forming the group, the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition. ... Among those joining Edmonds at the Capitol Hill news conference were Coleen Rowley, a retired FBI agent who faulted headquarters for not allowing Minneapolis agents to pursue a terrorism probe before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks; Mike German, a former FBI agent who said his career was 'put on ice' after he reported wrongdoing; and John Vincent, a retired FBI agent who spoke on behalf of Robert Wright, a veteran agent who was fired after claiming the bureau had mishandled investigations of the Palestinian group known as Hamas." (link)
* DOJ Withdraws Opposition To Release Of Senators' Letters About Edmonds. The Washington Post (2/23, A17, Smith) reports that in a "victory" for the Project on Government Oversight, DOJ has withdrawn its opposition to the group posting letters written by Sens. Patrick Leahy and Charles Grassley "seeking an explanation for the FBI's alleged mistreatment" of "whistle-blower" Sibel Edmonds. The Post adds that DOJ spokesman Charles Miller "said he was unsure whether Gonzales played a role in the decision." The Post notes, "The letters had asked what the department was doing to investigate Edmonds's claims and what sort of guidance the FBI gave its linguists about their foreign contacts. The answer to the first question, evidently, was not much." UPI (2/23, Waterman) also reports on the story, noting, "The Bureau has repeatedly tried to have" Edmonds's lawsuit "thrown out, claiming that it cannot be heard without jeopardizing national security." (link)
* "Some 9/11 Family Groups Supporting Sacked Translator's Suit Against FBI. The UPI (1/24, Waterman) reports, "A group of whistleblowers and relatives of September 11 attack victims will begin a campaign this week in support of fired FBI translator Sibel Edmonds." ACLU attorney Anne Beeson said, "The families want accountability. They want to know what went wrong and if it's been fixed," noting that six family groups have filed amicus briefs in the case." (link)
* DOJ IG Report Criticizes FBI Investigation Of Former Translator's Claims. In coverage taking a generally negative tone toward the FBI, the Washington Post (1/15, A13, Eggen), New York Times (1/15, Lichtblau), Washington Times (1/15, Seper), Chicago Tribune (1/15, Zajac), AP (1/15, Bridis) and Reuters (1/15) reported on Saturday about the release of DOJ IG Glenn Fine's report concerning former translator Sibel Edmonds' claims of security breaches in her section and her contention she was fired for reporting them. The Post says the report found the FBI investigation of Edmonds' claims "lax." The Tribune notes Fine found the FBI probe to be a "superficial inquiry marked by sloppy interviews, shallow research and an unwillingness to look beyond...Edmonds' sometimes difficult personality." The New York Times adds that Sens. Patrick Leahy and Charles Grassley "said the report underscored their broader concerns about the bureau's treatment of dissenters, particularly on critical matters involving terrorism and espionage. The stories all report that the FBI investigation of Edmonds' case continues, with the Post, Tribune New York Times, Washington Times and AP noting the FBI statement reiterating Director Robert Mueller's "commitment to protecting from retaliation all employees, including contractors." (link)
and here's the second group: COUNTER_TERRORISM
* American Library Association Files Brief Supporting Edmonds Suit Against FBI. The Library Journal (2/2) reports that the American Library Association has filed an amicus brief supporting former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds's lawsuit against the bureau. ALA Executive Director Emily Sheketoff said, "The government's decision to classify information that had been publicly available could be an abuse of the state secrets privilege. This action has a chilling effect on efforts to encourage government transparency." (link)
* Edmonds Forms Whistleblower Coalition To Press For Right To Sue. Government Executive (4/27, Strohm) reports that "spearheaded by FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds" and formed by "more than 50 former and current government officials from more than a dozen agencies," the National Security Whistleblower's Coalition plans "a series of meetings with House and Senate lawmakers and a press conference on Thursday" to press for legislation allowing whistleblowers to sue individual agency managers. "'We believe that the biggest and the most important thing is individual accountability,' Edmonds said Wednesday. 'As long as a few bad apples are allowed to hide behind the wall of the agencies, you can't pass any law, any regulations.'" GE notes, "Most officials in the coalition are on administrative leave or have already been fired from their agencies. Seventeen of the whistleblowers hail from the FBI, more than any other agency." (link)
* 9/11 Victims' Families Seeking Edmonds Testimony In Lawsuit. The Pittsburgh Tribune Review (4/17, Gazarik) reports on the pending 9/11 victims' families' civil lawsuit against those who allegedly funded the attacks. The Tribune Review notes, "The families contend that the U.S. Department of Justice has impeded the progress of their lawsuit by invoking...the state secrets privilege, to prevent" former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds "from giving a deposition in their case." The Times adds that Edmonds "said the FBI was spying on Turkish cultural groups who may have helped -- wittingly or unwittingly -- to launder money for Saudis citizens who were connected to terrorists. ... Her attorney, Mark Zaid...said some of Edmonds' work for the FBI could be related to 9/11. He said that's what the families' attorneys want to learn through pretrial discovery." (link)
* 9/11 Family Advocate Calls For Release Of Edmonds Records. The Staten Island Advance (1/25, Kivlan) reports 9/11 family advocate William Doyle, whose daughter was killed in the attacks, "has joined an effort to force the release of secret government documents concerning" fired FBI translator Sibel Edmonds. Doyle on Monday said, "We think Sibel Edmonds deserves her day in court." Doyle will appear today at an ACLU press conference "to protest the FBI's treatment of Ms. Edmonds and to demand declassification of FBI material the group says would shed light on her case." (link)
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