Thomas J. Pickard

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Person.png Thomas J. Pickard   SourcewatchRdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
(spook)
Thomas Pickard.jpg
BornJanuary 6, 1950
Woodside, New York, U.S.
Alma materSaint Francis College, St. John's University
PartyDemocrat
FBI senior executive involved in a number of investigations with deep state relevance, like the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the cover-up of the TWA Flight 800 shoot down, and 9/11.

Employment.png Acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

In office
June 25, 2001 - September 4, 2001
Succeeded byRobert Mueller
Later complained that New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani denied the FBI access to ground zero.

Thomas Joseph Pickar is a former FBI senior executive. He has been involved in a number of investigations with deep state relevance, like the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the cover-up of the TWA Flight 800 shoot down, and 9/11.

Career

He was acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, until just a week before 9/11. Former Terror Task Force chief John O’Neill complained about sabotage by Pickard.[1]

Pickard began his career as a Special Agent of the FBI on January 13, 1975, and after a period of training, he was initially assigned to the New York City field office. In April 1979, Pickard was transferred to the Washington, D.C., field office, where he worked in an undercover capacity on the case code-named ABSCAM, a sting operation that led to the convictions of seven members of the United States Congress[2].

In October 1984, Pickard reported to the New York City field office as a supervisor in the White-Collar Crime Section and later was appointed to be the Assistant Special Agent in Charge for all White-Collar Crime investigations and violent crime matters in New York. [2]

In 1989, Pickard was selected for the FBI's Senior Executive Service and was transferred to FBI Headquarters, where he oversaw the FBI's finance operations and subsequently its personnel operations. In 1993, Pickard was transferred to the New York City Office once again, to serve as the Special Agent in Charge of the National Security Division, supervising such matters as the trials of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing defendants, the trial of Omar Abdel-Rahman, the Manila Air conviction of Ramzi Yousef and his associates[2], and the cover-up of the July 1996, TWA Flight 800 shoot down.

On September 10, 1996, FBI Director Louis Freeh named Pickard to the position of Assistant Director in Charge of the Washington field office. During his tenure there, Pickard supervised such matters as the investigation and arrest of FBI Special Agent Earl Pitts for espionage and the capture of Mir Amir Kansi, who was convicted of the 1993 shootings at CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia.[2]

On February 2, 1998, Pickard assumed the position of Assistant Director of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division at FBI Headquarters. On November 1, 1999, Pickard was appointed Deputy Director, the number two position at the FBI. On June 25, 2001, upon the resignation of director Louis Freeh, Pickard was appointed Acting Director of the FBI by Attorney General John Ashcroft, and served in that capacity two months until the new Director took office. Pickard retired in November of that year.

The FBI's bureaucracy, and Pickard in particular, has been implicated as an opponent of FBI agent John P. O'Neill who led the FBI's investigation into Osama bin Laden prior to 9/11.[3]

9/11

Pickard has stated that the FBI wanted to take over Ground Zero and make it a crime scene as was done at the Pentagon. If that had occurred all materials from the scene would have been protected until an investigation was complete. Pickard stated that New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani refused to allow the FBI access to the pit area.[4]


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