President Obama defended the Federal Bureau of Investigation this morning for its work related to the terror bombings at the Boston Marathon amid mounting criticism from Congress, saying the agency did its due diligence despite an ongoing review of its actions.
“It’s not as if the FBI did nothing,” said Obama, pointing out the agency interviewed one of the suspects in 2011 after Russia warned he might be radicalized. “The FBI performed its duties. (The Department of Homeland Security) did what it was supposed to be doing. But this is hard stuff.”
Several congressional leaders have criticized the administration’s handling of early intelligence on Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who died after a firefight three days after the bombings. Sen. Lindsay Graham charged the “ball was dropped” by the FBI.
“No, Mr. Graham is not right on this issue,” Obama told reporters during a briefing marking the first 100 days of his second term.
He said a review of the FBI’s investigation into the Tsarnaev brothers, who are suspected of planting the bombs, is warranted but also “standard procedure around here.”
“When an event like this happens we want to leave no stone unturned, we want to see is there in fact additional protocols and procedures that could be put in place that would further improve and enhance our ability to detect a potential attack,” he said.
The FBI investigated Tamerlan Tsarnaev after Russian officials alerted them to the former Cambridge resident, and at the time found nothing that warranted further action. Some in Congress have asked why he wasn’t more closely monitored and why a subsequent trip to Russia did not trigger another investigation.
Obama said Russia is being cooperative in the ongoing investigation but that “old habits die hard. There are still sometimes suspicions.”
He also directed Americans to “take a cue from Boston,” when it comes to concerns about future attacks.
“You don’t get a sense that anybody’s intimidated when they go to Fenway Park a couple of days after the bombing,” he said.
“It’s not as if the FBI did nothing,” said Obama, pointing out the agency interviewed one of the suspects in 2011 after Russia warned he might be radicalized. “The FBI performed its duties. (The Department of Homeland Security) did what it was supposed to be doing. But this is hard stuff.”
Several congressional leaders have criticized the administration’s handling of early intelligence on Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who died after a firefight three days after the bombings. Sen. Lindsay Graham charged the “ball was dropped” by the FBI.
“No, Mr. Graham is not right on this issue,” Obama told reporters during a briefing marking the first 100 days of his second term.
He said a review of the FBI’s investigation into the Tsarnaev brothers, who are suspected of planting the bombs, is warranted but also “standard procedure around here.”
“When an event like this happens we want to leave no stone unturned, we want to see is there in fact additional protocols and procedures that could be put in place that would further improve and enhance our ability to detect a potential attack,” he said.
The FBI investigated Tamerlan Tsarnaev after Russian officials alerted them to the former Cambridge resident, and at the time found nothing that warranted further action. Some in Congress have asked why he wasn’t more closely monitored and why a subsequent trip to Russia did not trigger another investigation.
Obama said Russia is being cooperative in the ongoing investigation but that “old habits die hard. There are still sometimes suspicions.”
He also directed Americans to “take a cue from Boston,” when it comes to concerns about future attacks.
“You don’t get a sense that anybody’s intimidated when they go to Fenway Park a couple of days after the bombing,” he said.