The Department of Justice (DOJ) decided against prosecuting an FBI Legal Attaché accused of sending photos to the media without authorization and lying about it.
The DOJ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) investigated the ex-FBI employee’s behavior and found the Legal Attaché sent photos of FBI agents without authorization. The Legal Attaché subsequently lied to investigators and failed to fully cooperate in the investigation, the OIG found. (RELATED: House Republicans Release Report Detailing How DOJ Gave Hunter Biden ‘Special Treatment’ During Investigation)
FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies during a US Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing to examine the FBI, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on December 5, 2023. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
“The OIG investigation substantiated the allegation that the then-Legal Attaché was responsible for sending photographs of FBI special agents the Legal Attaché believed had been killed in the line of duty to a member of the news media without authorization, in violation of FBI policy,” the OIG said in an investigative summary released Tuesday.
“The OIG investigation also found that the Legal Attaché misused a government computer to obtain the photographs, in violation of FBI policy. The OIG investigation further found that the Legal Attaché made false statements to the OIG and failed to cooperate fully in the OIG investigation of this matter, in violation of federal law and regulations, as well as FBI policy,” the OIG summary adds.
The DOJ declined to prosecute the individual for allegedly lying to investigators and failing to fully cooperate with them, according to the OIG. It’s unclear what the reasoning was behind the DOJ’s decision not to prosecute. The FBI Legal Attaché retired during the OIG investigation.
FBI Legal Attaché agents are typically highly experienced investigators who represent the FBI Director in the country where they have responsibilities such as conducting investigations with the country they are located in.
The OIG did provide its report on the investigation for the FBI to potentially take action.