FBI Director Robert Mueller – National Press Club Luncheon – May 16, 2008 – National Press Club –
FBI Director Robert Mueller. Before he became Special Counsel and became embroiled in the Investigation over Russian meddling in the 2016 election, Mueller was director of the FBI – this appearance, before the National Press Club is from May 16, 2008 – long before Trump, Manafort, or the seemingly endless series of scandals currently gripping the White House.
Below is a printed excerpt of the much longer address and Q&A from May 16, 2008:
Robert Mueller: “We in the Bureau have a responsibility to serve the public, and
yet we recognize the unique ability of the media to cast a wider net
within the public. We can send agents out to visit a thousands homes
to find a witness; the press can visit a million homes in an instant.
And we frequently need your assistance in seeking information
from the public. We post Amber Alerts when children go missing, and
we are using digital billboards now across the country to publicize
fugitives and missing persons.
We have been working with John Walsh and “America’s Most Wanted”
to track down fugitives since 1988, and to date those efforts have
resulted in the arrest of 1,000 fugitives, 16 of whom were included on
the FBI’s Top 10 list.
Nearly three years ago, Oprah Winfrey approached us for
information on the most dangerous child predators. She featured 14
such predators on her television show and offered a reward for every
arrest. Citizen tips led to the capture of six such predators, for
which Ms. Winfrey paid a substantial reward out of her own pocket.
And for her efforts, we recently presented her with an award for
exceptional community service.
Over the past 100 years, we have both grown. Our
responsibilities have become more complex. But by and large, we
understand one another and we recognize the vital role each of us
plays.
Where will the FBI and the press be 100 years from now? it is
impossible to predict the challenges we each will face. The landscape
in which we both operate will likely continue to change, the
technology we both use will most certainly change, and the threats we
face as citizens will become more diverse and more dangerous.
But what will not change is our common denominator, and that is
that we both serve the same public. Freedom of speech is a hallmark
of democracy, and we in the FBI have great respect for a free and a
fair press.”
Here is the complete address, along with the Q&A period from that luncheon.
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