Agent Mulder? Are You There?

By Matt Wood in News on Oct 19, 2005 2:19PM

A Chicago FBI agent who was almost fired for criticizing the bureau's counterterrorism efforts got his job back, but he seems a little skittish. "I look forward to going back to my squad," Robert Wright told the Tribune. "I look forward to doing my job. That's all I'm going to say." Though he will still be punished for his actions, he didn't discuss the conditions of his return because the part of his brain the FBI lobotomized contained his free will.

Wright became a cause celebre after he held a news conference in 2003 in Washington where he called the FBI's terrorism investigations "pathetic" and said the bureau's International Terrorism Unit was a "complete joke." He also appeared on ABC News to offer similar criticism. The FBI slapped him with charges of insubordination, unprofessional conduct, and talking to the media without approval. He was under investigation for two years and has spent the last four months suspended without pay. The bureau tried to fire him in April, then he cried foul.

Chicagoist applauds this guy's courage for speaking out, but that's no way to keep your job. Calling your employer a complete joke at a news conference doesn't usually curry any favors, especially when your employer literally is The Man. They have a knack for getting their way without leaving any marks, as Wright apparently found out. "He's happy he's being reinstated," his spokesman said. "He'll be really happy if the bureau leaves him alone."