WASHINGTON - Despite fierce opposition from the FBI, support is growing in Washington for the creation of a domestic intelligence agency that could take over intelligence gathering and counterterrorism from the bureau.
The idea will likely get its strongest boost this week when the joint congressional intelligence committee on the Sept. 11 attacks unveils its recommendations, including one that stops just short of endorsing the proposal and calls for a yearlong study of the concept.
At issue is whether the FBI, historically a law enforcement agency charged with combating such mainstream crimes as bank robbery and drug trafficking, should continue trying to recast itself as one-stop shopping for terrorism prevention or whether that job could be better handled by a separate agency with that single mission.
FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III and many bureau officials - as well as civil libertarians - are against forming such an agency, which could be modeled after MI5, the British domestic intelligence service.
Privacy issues
Civil liberties groups fear that such an agency would bring back the days of domestic spying on Americans and would have little oversight to protect citizens from unwarranted wiretaps or other privacy violations.
But the FBI, weakened by persistent criticism and waning support on Capitol Hill, might not be able to fend off the appeal of a new agency, which could become part of a Cabinet department such as the Department of Homeland Security or independent like the CIA.
In recent months, the FBI has lost the confidence of some congressional leaders who feel that it has not moved fast enough to combat terrorism and that the country is no safer today than it was before the attacks.
Some of the most vocal support for a new agency has come from Sen. John Edwards, a North Carolina Democrat, who said in a recent speech that the FBI has not been able to accomplish what a separate agency could. Last week he visited Britain's MI5 agency for a tour.
"The law enforcement impulses of the FBI consistently trump intelligence needs," he said. "Instead of attempting to turn the FBI into something it isn't, we should establish a new agency that is focused on gathering intelligence about terrorist threats here at home."
Sen. Bob Graham, a Florida Democrat and a co-chairman of the joint House-Senate investigating committees, asked Mueller to come to his office several weeks ago to discuss the idea and whether the bureau is accomplishing its new anti-terrorism mission.
