what is the relationship between the fbi and the president and the attorney general

by Prof. Brisa Borer 9 min read

Within the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI is responsible to the attorney general, and it reports its findings to U.S. Attorneys across the country. The FBI's intelligence activities are overseen by the Director of National Intelligence.

What is the relationship between the Justice Department and the FBI?

Jan 17, 2019 · The relationship between the chief executive and the nation's most influential lawyer is sometimes cozy - although also sometimes tense, as was the case between President Lyndon Johnson and his ...

Who does the FBI report to?

The FBI’s activities are closely and regularly scrutinized by a variety of entities, including Congress, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Director of National Intelligence.

What happens to the results of an FBI investigation?

Sep 23, 2008 · In order to implement the decisions and directives of the President and the Attorney General, to respond to inquiries and enactments of Congress, and to incorporate the recommendations of national...

What does the FBI do?

Nov 03, 2016 · The FBI is an agency based in Washington D.C. It was started in 1908 by the head of the U.S. Department of Justice at the time, Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte. The bureau began as a special ...

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Does the FBI director report to the attorney general?

The FBI is an agency within the Department of Justice (DOJ), and thus the Director reports to the Attorney General of the United States.

Who has power over the FBI?

Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, the FBI is also a member of the U.S. Intelligence Community and reports to both the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence.

Does the FBI protect the attorney general?

The FBI operates the protective detail for the attorney general of the United States and also others as requested by DOJ. The attorney general is the FBI's only permanent personal protective mission.Oct 18, 2019

Is the president in charge of FBI?

The FBI is led by a Director, who is appointed by the U.S. President and confirmed by the Senate for a term not to exceed 10 years. The current Director is Christopher Wray.

Who is higher than FBI?

Comparison chartCIAStands forCentral Intelligence AgencyIntroductionThe Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the United States federal government, tasked with gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information from around the world.10 more rows

Who is head of FBI?

Christopher WrayChristopher Wray was sworn in as the Director of the FBI on August 2, 2017.

Who protects the president?

the Secret ServiceBy law, the Secret Service is authorized to protect: The president, the vice president, (or other individuals next in order of succession to the Office of the President), the president-elect and vice president-elect.

Can the FBI collect on U.S. citizens?

Unlike the FBI, it is prohibited from collecting information regarding “U.S. Persons,” a term that includes U.S. citizens, resident aliens, legal immigrants, and U.S. corporations, regardless of where they are located.

Why is the FBI called the G?

The nickname may have originated during the September 1933 arrest of the gangster George "Machine Gun" Kelly by agents of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI), a forerunner of the FBI. Finding himself unarmed, Kelly supposedly shouted, "Don't shoot, G-men!

Is the CIA above the FBI?

Unlike the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which is a domestic security service, the CIA has no law enforcement function and is officially mainly focused on overseas intelligence gathering, with only limited domestic intelligence collection....Central Intelligence Agency.Agency overviewWebsitewww.cia.gov11 more rows

Who is FBI Most Wanted?

ListingEUGENE PALMER.BHADRESHKUMAR CHETANBHAI PATEL.ALEJANDRO ROSALES CASTILLO.ARNOLDO JIMENEZ.JASON DEREK BROWN.ALEXIS FLORES.JOSE RODOLFO VILLARREAL-HERNANDEZ.OCTAVIANO JUAREZ-CORRO.More items...

What is higher than the CIA?

The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI).

What is the FBI's role in national security?

In addition to the need to issue more consistent standards, the FBI’s critical involvement in the national security area presents special needs for coordination and information sharing with other DOJ components and federal agencies with national security responsibilities. Those components and agencies include the Department’s National Security Division, other U.S. Intelligence Community agencies, the Department of Homeland Security, and relevant White House agencies and entities. In response to this need, the notification, consultation, and information-sharing provisions that were first adopted in the 2003 NSIG are perpetuated in the new guidelines.

What are the FBI guidelines?

The guidelines provide uniform standards, to the extent possible, for all FBI investigative and intelligence gathering activities. They are designed to provide a single, consistent structure that applies regardless of whether the FBI is seeking information concerning federal crimes, threats to national security, foreign intelligence matters, or some combination thereof. The guidelines are the latest step in moving beyond a reactive model (where agents must wait to receive leads before acting) to a model that emphasizes the early detection, intervention, and prevention of terrorist attacks, intelligence threats, and criminal activities. The consolidated guidelines also reflect the FBI’s status as a full-fledged intelligence agency and member of the U.S. Intelligence Community. To that end, they address the FBI’s intelligence collection and analysis functions more comprehensively. They also address the ways in which the FBI assists other agencies with responsibilities for national security and intelligence matters.

When were the FBI guidelines promulgated?

Approximately 18 months ago, the FBI requested that the Attorney General consider combining three basic sets of guidelines—the General Crimes Guidelines, which were promulgated in 2002, the National Security Investigative Guidelines (NSIG), which were promulgated in 2003, and a set of guidelines that are called the Supplemental Foreign Intelligence Guidelines, which were promulgated in 2006.

Is the FBI a domestic agency?

Additionally, the new guidelines carry out a significant area of reform by providing adequate standards, procedures, and authorities to reflect the FBI’s character as a full-fledged domestic intelligence agency— with respect to both intelligence collection and intelligence analysis—and as a key participant in the U.S. Intelligence Community.

How many agencies does the FBI have?

Today, it remains one of many agencies coming under the Department of Justice. It is also a member of the U.S. Intelligence Community, a grouping of 16 agencies. These agencies work separately and together on intelligence activities related to U.S. foreign relations and national security. The FBI investigates specific crimes assigned to its agents.

How long can a FBI director serve?

FBI directors can serve as long as ten years, but no longer. The FBI website describes the bureau as “an intelligence-driven and threat-focused national security organization with both intelligence and law enforcement responsibilities.”. Its mission is to “protect the American people and uphold the United States Constitution.”.

What did James Comey tell Congress?

The officials reportedly told Comey that informing Congress about the new material was not in line with department policy. FBI Director James Comey makes a statement at FBI Headquarters in Washington, July 5, 2016. The incident raises questions about the relationship between the Justice Department and FBI, and how the two agencies cooperate.

What is the purpose of the Department of Justice?

At the time, the government faced increasing legal cases brought against the United States. The Department of Justice website says the main goal of the agency is to “enforce the law and defend the interest of the United States according to the law.”.

Which agency is responsible for enforcing the laws and administering justice?

The FBI generally conducts investigations for the Justice Department, which is responsible for enforcing the laws and administering justice.

When was the Department of Justice created?

An act of Congress created the Department of Justice in 1870. The Attorney General heads the agency. At the time, the government faced increasing legal cases brought against the United States.

What is the relationship between the Attorney General and the President?

Attorney General's advisory relationship with the president, specifically the potential conflict between his responsibilities as the nation's chief legal officer and as a member of an elected administration. The attorney general is an appointed executive officer, but he also is an officer of the court with quasi-judicial responsibilities, which distinguishes him from fellow cabinet members. The tension between law and politics is often studied from the perspective of the judiciary; this work attempts to examine that tension as it exists in the executive branch After empirical research on the tenures of half of the attorneys general, I established a set of ideal types to explain some of the differences I observed between incumbents. Then I employed thirteen case studies to test the validity of the types. One type, which I identified as the Advocate, is the political law officer, characterized by a partisan past, longtime friendship with the president, and an activist conception of the law as a tool to achieve policy ends. The other type is the Neutral, the legalistic attorney general. A government outsider, he is the eminent and nonpartisan professional who is not very close to the president The Advocate has dominated the office. Presidents prefer attorneys general who can be trusted with the administration's policy agenda. I hypothesized that the Neutral would predominate in the aftermath of scandal, because his qualities give him the high credibility needed to rebuild public confidence. A review of four post-scandal law officers confirms this hypothesis. I also examined the normative argument that the attorney general ought to be removed from politics, a common complaint since Watergate. Those critics ignore the need for electoral accountability and the legitimacy of policy direction from the White House. But their concern that rule of law occasionally has suffered under Advocate type officers is well founded. That principle is best fulfilled by a Neutral. Each type, then, has advantages and dangers which should be kept in mind by those who appoint and confirm the attorney general

What is the attorney general's advisory relationship with the President?

This study examines the U.S. Attorney General's advisory relationship with the president, specifically the potential conflict between his responsibilities as the nation's chief legal officer and as a member of an elected administration.

CIA vs. FBI

Both the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are part of the U.S. Intelligence Community. The primary difference between the two agencies is that the CIA does not have a law enforcement function. The purpose of the CIA is to collect and analyze information that is important for the formation of U.S.

What Crimes Do the FBI Investigate?

Security threats are the top priority of the FBI, but the FBI also plays a role in combatting violent crime in big cities and local areas throughout the U.S. They focus on crimes that pose threats to American society, like mass killings, sniper murders, and serial killings. Other areas that the jurisdiction of the FBI extends to include:

Who was the FBI Director who felt a problem?

Both the president and the chief of staff weighed the option of whether or not to inform Acting FBI Director L. Patrick Gray that Felt was a potential problem in light of preserving their confidential source. They also ponder how to deal with Felt and whether Felt was Jewish or Catholic.

What does Nixon tell Gray about the FBI?

Nixon tells the Gray that "the house cleaning [at the FBI] is going to come, but it should not come now because we can't have any flaps about that now.". Nixon also characterizes Hoover as his "closest personal friend in public life," and advises Gray on how to portray his relationship with the president and deal with the media.

What did Nixon confide in Haig?

Nixon confides in Haig that he was critical of Kissinger's approach to negotiations, and he verbally weighs options and scenarios. The second conversation (717-19: audio - transcript) shows Nixon and Haldeman busy at work setting the stage for Hoover's funeral. Nixon comes across as a micromanager, turning Hoover's funeral into a media event ...

What was Nixon's response to Kleindienst's recommendation of Mark Felt as Acting FBI Director?

Nixon's response to Kleindienst's recommendation of Mark Felt as Acting FBI Director is noteworthy because the president rejected Felt out of hand and replied: "I don't want him. I can't have him…I want a fellow in there that is not part of the old guard, and that has not had part of that infighting in there.".

Who was the FBI director who was invited to Hoover's funeral?

After Hoover's funeral on May 4, 1972, Nixon invited the acting FBI director, L. Patrick Gray III and his wife to the Oval Office. In the third conversation (719-12: audio - transcript ), Nixon discusses the selection process for Hoover's successor.

Who was the point man for the investigation of George Wallace?

However, brief descriptions are provided below. Ehrlichman reports to Nixon the burgeoning investigation of Arthur Bremer for the attempted assassination of presidential candidate George Wallace. They agree that Mark Felt would be the point man for the investigation and report to the White House directly.

What did Mark Felt say to Nixon?

Interestingly, Gray tells Nixon that after his first meeting with senior FBI officials, Mark Felt had called him to say, "That was a magnificent job you did. ". Nixon is restrained in the presence of Mrs. Gray, avoiding the rough language that often characterized his White House conversation.

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