-Caveat Lector- Dept.'s Espionage Review Delayed By H. JOSEF HEBERT .c The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - Energy Secretary Bill Richardson said Wednesday he has turned over an internal investigation into mishandling of the China espionage case to the department's inspector general, delaying its release for at least 30 days. The long-awaited review of the Energy Department's response to the alleged theft of nuclear secrets from the Los Alamos nuclear weapons laboratory in New Mexico had been expected to be released this week. ``More questions need to be asked. ... I want to do this right. Careers are at stake,'' Richardson said. Richardson has said the mishandling of the case involving a three-year espionage investigation of a Los Alamos scientist would result in firings and demotions. ``There will be disciplining. There will be terminations,'' Richardson reiterated Wednesday, speaking to reporters after a three-hour appearance before the Senate Intelligence Committee. But Richardson said a draft of the internal report given to him on Monday ``did not effectively or adequately deal'' with the actions of personnel at the agency's headquarters in Washington. He said he had accepted findings involving Los Alamos employees, but would not elaborate. ``I've now asked the inspector general's office to do a comprehensive report that will be due in 30 days,'' he told reporters. Richardson refused to discuss whose job might be in jeopardy or whether any senior officials, still at the department, might be disciplined. The internal investigation has focused on why a Los Alamos scientist, Wen Ho Lee, was allowed to keep his top-secret job and access to the country's most sensitive nuclear secrets while under investigation by the FBI since 1996. Lee was fired last March for security violations. He has not been charged with a crime and has denied giving secrets to China or anyone else. In 1997, the FBI informed senior Energy Department officials on several occasions that Lee's transfer to a less sensitive job would not jeopardize the espionage investigation. But that information was not relayed clearly to Los Alamos managers. The internal investigation has sought to determine the reason for what Richardson has called a ``communications breakdown'' involving the Lee case. At the same time, the report is examining charges by a DOE intelligence officer, Notra Trulock, that he had been blocked by former Deputy Energy Secretary Elizabeth Moler from making concerns of lax security and the Lee espionage case known to then-Energy Secretary Frederico Pena and to members of Congress. Moler, who has since left the department, has denied any such interference. Trulock in late May was given a $10,000 Energy Department award for his persistence in exposing the security problems. Richardson said Wednesday, ``He's a member of my team.'' Meanwhile, in testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Richardson argued Wednesday against a Senate proposal for a largely autonomous agency within the Energy Department to oversee the government's nuclear weapons programs. The proposal would create a Nuclear Security Administration that would have authority over its own budget within the department. Sen. John Kyl, R-Ariz., said the measure would ``ensure the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear arsenal'' by providing clear lines of authority and accountability without interference from other offices of the department. Richardson called the proposal ``a step toward military control of nuclear weapons development'' that said it would undermine his attempt to gain more control over the nuclear labs including security and counterintelligence activities. ``We don't need any more fiefdoms at the Department of Energy,'' Richardson said. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
