Washington – When the FBI asked Congress this spring to provide $3.6 million in the war-spending bill for its Gulfstream V jet, it said the money was needed to ensure the aircraft, packed with state-of-the-art security and communications gear, could continue to fly counterterrorism agents on “crucial missions” into Iraq.
Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the bureau has made similar annual requests to maintain and fuel the $40 million jet on grounds that it had a “tremendous impact” on combating terrorism by rapidly deploying FBI agents to “fast-moving investigations and crisis situations” in places such as Afghanistan.
But the jet that the FBI originally pitched to lawmakers in the late 1990s as an essential tool for battling terrorism is now routinely used to ferry FBI Director Robert Mueller to speeches, public appearances and field-office visits. In fact, Mueller’s travel now accounts for nearly a quarter of the flight time for the lone FBI jet able to make international flights.
FBI officials acknowledged to The Washington Post that Mueller’s use of the Gulfstream was a marked departure from the travel practices of his predecessors, such as Louis Freeh, who flew commercially or used a smaller Cessna Citation jet. They said that Mueller’s aides first check with the counterterrorism division to make sure the Gulfstream is not needed for terrorism operations and that the Justice Department approves each flight.
They also said that Mueller’s logistical and security advisers have urged him to use the plane routinely.
“He is the CEO of the FBI’s part in the war on terror,” assistant director John Miller said.
