FBI Seizes Docs From Federal Watchdog

Fed investigator now probed himself for wiping computers

(NEWSER) - Using Geeks on Call to scrub his computer could come back to haunt the man investigating Karl Rove for improper partisan activities, the Wall Street Journal reports. Scott Bloch—head of a federal office charged with protecting whistleblowers and keeping employees from using government for partisan activities—ordered an extreme seven-level wipe, and investigators are wondering whether it was a cover-up. More»

Obscure office led by Bush appointee launches investigation

(NEWSER) - The U.S. attorney firings, disappearing e-mails, and other White House political operations have found their way onto the radar of a small office that normally investigates federal employees' misbehavior. Karl Rove is in the sights of the Office of Special Counsel, whose head has vowed not to "leave any stone unturned," the Los Angeles Times reports. More»

FBI had given him a fake suicide vest in sting operation

(NEWSER) - The FBI today arrested a man who allegedly thought he was on his way to blow himself up on Capitol Hill—but who was actually wearing a harmless vest provided to him by undercover FBI agents. The suspect, a man about 30 of Moroccan descent, thought he was working with al-Qaeda, but in reality the men helping him plot his attack were undercover feds, Fox News reports. The AP identified him as Amine El Khalifi of Alexandria, Virginia. More»

Henry King may have leaked inside info to hedge funds

(NEWSER) - Federal investigators have set their sights on famed Goldman Sachs tech analyst Henry King in a broadening insider trading probe. The Feds suspect King, who is known for his spot-on calls, may be leaking inside information from Taiwanese electronic parts manufacturers to US investors, sources tell the Wall Street Journal . To further deepen the intrigue, King counted among his clients the Galleon Group , the hedge fund group at the center of former Goldman director Rajat Gupta's insider trading scandal . More»

Apple founder's character questioned by many interviewees

(NEWSER) - Steve Jobs had an FBI file, assembled during a 1991 background check when Jobs was being considered for an appointment by George HW Bush, and the agency has just made it public after a FOIA request from the Wall Street Journal . Read all 191 pages here , or check out highlights below from the Journal and Gawker :

• Jobs' past drug use is a frequent topic in the file, but interviewees seem to agree that he had left that lifestyle behind him.
• One man calling himself a former "good friend" of Jobs said that the Apple founder is "basically … honest and trustworthy," but that "his moral character is suspect." Jobs, the man continued, "alienated a large number of people at Apple, as a result of his ambition."
• Another source did not want to discuss Jobs, due to "questions concerning his ethics and morality."