Long past midnight, top government officials worked feverishly inside the FBI's Washington headquarters to launch an assault by the elite Hostage Rescue Team. At stake were the lives of nine employees at the Talladega federal prison, in Alabama, who were being held captive by a mob of prisoners armed with spears, knives and crossbows. Suddenly FBI Director William Sessions walked in and began marching around the room, "making noise, strutting around, being somewhat pompous, and engaging in non sequiturs," as one official recalls. Instead of dealing with the crisis at hand, the officials were forced to humor Sessions, who was oblivious to their nine days of planning. "He blew in at the 59th minute of the 11th hour," gripes another participant.
Such tales of incompetence and self-indulgence on the part of the bureau's director have pushed the organization into a state of near mutiny. The director is locked in a contentious fight to keep his job, a battle that may be resolved as early as this week. Antagonism toward Sessions, who was appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1988 and serves at the pleasure of the President, flared into public view last month after the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility issued a 161-page report finding that Sessions has abused the privileges of his job. The charges range from the serious (not paying taxes on business travel that was later deemed to be personal) to the trivial (hauling his dog Pete in an FBI car). Adding to the theatrics is the director's wife Alice, who enjoyed many of the disputed perks and has accused FBI officials of plotting against her.
Since the report was issued, Sessions has warred openly with his most senior deputies. Some of them have suggested privately to Sessions that he has lost the confidence of his agents. President Clinton may want Sessions to leave, but so far the Administration has only dropped hints. Now that Clinton has nominated a new Attorney General, who as chief of the Justice Department supervises the FBI, the process of replacing Sessions is likely to speed up.
During his first few years at the agency, Sessions generated little controversy. Even his critics concede that he is a cheerful, generous man who reveres the Constitution and is dedicated to social justice and civil rights. But after the Justice report was released, Sessions did a poor job of responding to the charges, attacking FBI agents and other government officials. Questions about his competence and his integrity began to proliferate. In a letter accompanying the Justice report, former Attorney General William Barr accused Sessions of "a clear pattern of your taking advantage of the government." The report charged that Sessions:
Allowed his wife to accompany him on plane flights to 111 locations without compensating the FBI for her travel.
Used an FBI plane to haul firewood from New York City to Washington. (Sessions acknowledges flying the wood, but says it was only four pieces of white birch that his wife needed for decorating their house.)
Carried an unloaded gun in the trunk of his car in order to classify it as a "law-enforcement vehicle" so he could avoid paying taxes on the cost of driving to work.
Went to great lengths to find business reasons to travel to San Francisco (11 trips), where his daughter lives, and San Antonio, Texas (17 trips), his hometown.