Officials decline to testify in open Murkowski had wanted to publicly question officials of the FBI and the Justice Department, but he said they declined to appear and would limit their testimony to a closed session because of security concerns. He's expected to press them on why a communications mix-up apparently prevented Lee's prompt removal once the scientist came under suspicion of giving secrets to China. Los Alamos officials told Murkowski's committee last week that Lee was allowed continued access to the most sensitive nuclear warhead secrets even though senior FBI officials in Washington concluded in mid-1997 that his removal would not harm their investigation. Word, however, never reached Los Alamos managers. Lee, who was fired two months ago, has not been charged with any crime, and his lawyer has denied any wrongdoing.
China also denies stealing U.S. secrets.
This has been the problem, a lack of accountability. In a previous move, Richardson elevated the department's counterintelligence program and put senior FBI officials in charge. The Energy Department, which had been criticized in the past for its secretiveness, changed directions in the early years of Bill Clinton's presidency. Richardson, who took office seven months ago, ordered a slowdown of that effort. While some declassification will continue, he said material will be reviewed to ensure that sensitive weapons-design documents are not released by mistake.