By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

The FBI interrogated an Everett terror suspect for six hours without recording the interaction.

That didn’t sit well with U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young, who criticized the FBI during a day-long evidentiary hearing Thursday, the Boston Herald reports. 

“It would have been a very good idea if all this had been recorded,” Young said. “A recording device that is reliable ought to be part of their kit.”

The suspect, David Daoud Wright, was charged with conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist organization for allegedly plotting to behead a conservative blogger with Boston terror suspect Usaamah Rahim.

FBI Boston Special Agent David George said the interrogation wan’t recorded because “We were in his living room. We weren’t in the right environment for it … We were not properly equipped,” noting that the bureau prohibits using cell phones to record interviews.

Director James B. Comey

By Editorial Board
Star-Ledger

It may never be determined whether James Comey altered history by introducing a headline-grabbing non-sequitur into the Hillary Clinton email saga on the eve of the election, but this aspect of that false alarm is irrefutable:

The director of the FBI tainted this election by breaking clear rules that establish a wall between politics and criminal investigations, in effect turning the FBI into a political player. That is a scary precedent.

The Trump campaign was a mess before Oct. 28, the day Comey announced that emails found on Anthony Weiner’s computer might be related to Clinton’s case, and therefore should be flung into the media hurricane as potentially “new” and “relevant.”

They turned out to be nothing at all, but that marinated for nine news cycles.

Nine days that clearly energized Trump, who used it as a cudgel at every rally.

Nine days in which Trump and his media allies called for Clinton’s prosecution despite the absence of evidence that a law was broken.

Nine days before Comey said this, on Nov. 6: Oops, never mind.

By then, tens of millions had voted – some who might have otherwise sat this one out, if not for Trump renewing his lock-her-up campaign strategy.

Either way, it was a horrendous intrusion to the democratic process, and Comey butchered it from the start.

Rudolph Giuliani

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

Rudy Giuliani sounded a lot like President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday when he spoke of his qualifications to head the Justice Department.

“There’s probably nobody that knows the Justice Department better than me,” the former New York mayor said, adding that “I certainly have the energy” to take on the task of attorney general, USA Today reports. 

He added: “I know the bottom of the Justice Department, and I know the top of the Justice Department.”

It’s unclear whether Giuliani will be tapped for the job.

In the meantime, some members of Trump’s transition team appeared to suggest that the new administration won’t try to prosecute Hillary Clinton.

ATF Special Agent Ashan Benedict

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

Ashan Benedict, the son of Sri Lankan immigrants, has come home to Yonkers to become the special agent in charge of ATF’s New York Field Division.

“Law enforcement is not a field that South Asians typically go into,” Benedict told the Journal News. “But I guess my personality and growing up in Yonkers … you want to try different things.”

Now 45, Benedict spent 21 years climbing the ATF’s ranks.

Benedict’s wife also is a special agent for the ATF. They have three children and recently moved to Scarsdale.

“It’s fantastic,” he said on a recent morning in the ATF’s Bronx office, speaking about his new assignment. “It really motivates and drives me to do better, because this is not just another post of duty. This is my home.”

“For me, this is the pinnacle of my career,” he added.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

An armed MIT worker was jailed after police said he impersonated an FBI agent in an attempt to get inside an Arlington, Mass., home.

Gannon LeBlanc, a 23-year-old from Nashua, NH., pleaded not guilty to charges of impersonating a police officer and carrying a gun without a license, the Boston Herald reports. 

LeBlanc, who was wearing a black suit, black tie and black hat with white FBI lettering, unsuccessfully tried to convince a resident to him inside their home.

Arlington police said they found him at a bus stop, where he was arrested and carrying a stun gun, loaded .38 caliber handgun, knife, rope, ski mask and copies of an FBI flyer.

“I commend the homeowners for having the presence of mind to refuse entry and immediately call the real police,” Ryan said in a statement. “Thankfully, our officers responded quickly and were able to locate this individual and restore safety to the neighborhood.”

Other Stories of Interest

• FBI, Indiana State Police Raid Lake County Sheriff’s Home
• Clinton Aides Blame FBI Director, Media for Devastating Loss
• Justice Department Prepares for Shift in Priorities Under Trump
• Secret Service Probing Van’s Violent Message Aimed at Clinton
• Trump’s Homeland Security Candidates Included GOP Lawmakers, a Sheriff