Coleen Rowley — the FBI whistleblower who was Time magazine’s Person of the Year in 2002 — “is considering a race for Congress in Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District, the former FBI whistle-blower told the Associated Press Monday,” reports the Duluth News Tribune.
“‘I’m very concerned about the direction we’re going in with civil liberties, the secrecy, the use of alerts to manipulate public opinion,'” Rowley told the media.
Rowley, 50, would run as a Democrat in the seat currently held by GOP Rep. John Kline. Kline’s 2004 opponent, Teresa Daly, said she has not made a decision [to run].
Rowley, who retired from the FBI last year, said she’s spoken to people to get their input, both inside and outside of politics, but has been put off by some suggestions that she get a “makeover.”
A makeover? Ach! More below, with an ACLU photo of Rowley:
“I’ve butted heads with a few people — anyone who tells me I have to spruce up my hair and buy a new wardrobe,” Rowley said, declining to identify the source of this unwanted advice. “I haven’t worn makeup since I was 21. You have to be authentic and genuine in serving the populace.” …Rowley was named one of Time magazine’s People of the Year for 2002 after she criticized the agency for ignoring her pleas in the weeks before Sept. 11, 2001, to investigate terrorism suspect Zacarias Moussaoui more aggressively. He was the only person charged in the United States in the attacks.
Rowley said she hopes to make a decision on a congressional race by early next month. In 2003, DFL activists encouraged her to run against Kline, but she declined. One reason was she would have had to quit the FBI a year before she could receive her pension.
Rowley said she would run as an “independent-minded Democrat,” focusing on issues such as international security and civil liberties.
Here’s a snippet from the Center for Cooperative Research’s notes on Crowley and the Minnnesota FBI office’s work:
Minnesota FBI agent Coleen Rowley, upset with what she considers lying from FBI Director Mueller and others in the FBI about the handling of the Zacarias Moussaoui case, releases a long memo she wrote about the case two weeks before 9/11.
She also applies for whistleblower protection. Time magazine calls the memo a “colossal indictment of our chief law-enforcement agency’s neglect” and says it “raises serious doubts about whether the FBI is capable of protecting the public—and whether it still deserves the public’s trust.”
Three days after 9/11, Mueller made statements such as “There were no warning signs that I’m aware of that would indicate this type of operation in the country.” Coleen Rowley and other Minnesota FBI agents “immediately sought to reach [Mueller’s] office through an assortment of higher-level FBI [headquarters] contacts, in order to quickly make [him] aware of the background of the Moussaoui investigation and forewarn [him] so that [his] public statements could be accordingly modified.” Yet Mueller continued to make similar comments, including in a Senate hearing on May 8, 2002.
[Time, 5/21/02; New York Times, 5/30/02]
Finally, after Rowley‘s memo becomes public, Mueller states, “I cannot say for sure that there wasn’t a possibility we could have come across some lead that would have led us to the hijackers.” He also admits: “I have made mistakes occasionally in my public comments based on information or a lack of information that I subsequently got.”
Time magazine later names Rowley one of three “Persons of the Year” for 2002, along with fellow whistleblowers Cynthia Cooper of WorldCom and Sherron Watkins of Enron.
The ACLU has more on Crowley.
This is the most infuriating thing I’ve read all day!
Let’s instead “make over” our political leaders and make sure they get a new “wardrobe.” I’m told orange jumpsuits are all the rage in the social scenes I’d love to see them frequenting.
It’s stupid. It would make her inauthentic.
On camera, it would probably be smart to put a bit of undetectable makeup on her. Even Amy Goodman — whose fans would leave her in droves if she ever hosted Democracy Now! with a bouffant anchor-do — could use a smidgen of makeup under her eyes.
would have some stylish pink boxers for them to wear in Tent City if they were opposed to the orange jumpers.
Is that the nut case who paints the prison cells bright pink?
(Although I recall reading — years and years ago — that there’s a certain color of pink that actually calms people down, it’s claimed, and it was recommended for prison cells.)
he is definitely a nut-case.
What great news for those of us in MN – and most of all for those of us who vote DFL, but are more Libertarian/Independent in nature.
IIRC, John Kline’s last campaign was rooted in ugliness. But if anyone is prepared for such treatment, it’s Ms. Rowley. She was, and remains, a personal hero. Back in mid-2002, I attended a breakfast event in which Rowley’s boss was the guest speaker. Along with many others, I was most frustrated that the content of the speaking involved generalities about the career paths of female FBI agents. (The event was sponsored by organizations geared toward female entrepreneurs.) But one thing we didn’t notice – that the speaker obviously did – was that hidden in the crowd were representatives of the press. The speaker’s only specific reference to Ms. Rowley – in response to questions that I and others posed – was an assurance that yes, Ms. Rowley was okay. Yet, the following morning, when I read the Minneapolis Star Tribune, I found that a reporter had spun the speaker’s comments into sensationalized allegations. And it made me physically ill. But again, it reminds me that this amazing woman is most prepared to take on the ugliest of opponents, and the ugliest press coverage.
Ms. Rowley’s appearance is somewhat reminiscent of Hillary Clinton’s early days with the headbands and over sized glasses. And I regret that she and others view the prospect of a makeover as offensive – because we all know that packaging and perception are imperative from a marketing perspective. A makeover would NOT alter Ms. Rowley’s personal convictions. As a strong supporter of Howard Dean, I cringed each time he participated in a debate – with the same old suit, shirt and tie. Because in comparison to others on the stage, it made him look less than presidential. And sadly, that is the reality one must face in the political arena. (Then again, Paul Wellstone’s elbow patched “professor jackets” added to his initial folksy charm)