House approves proposed post to investigate FBI

Ashcroft's Justice Department wants closer oversight of the FBI

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Signaling that both the Congress and Attorney General John Ashcroft want tighter management control over the FBI, the House voted Monday to create a new job within the Justice Department to investigate problems within the trouble-plagued agency.

Those problems, which range from the recent discovery that hundreds of laptop computers at the FBI are missing, to the espionage plea earlier this month by former FBI agent Robert Hanssen, could be investigated by a new Justice Department deputy inspector general dedicated to overseeing the FBI.

The bill is consistent with an order signed by Ashcroft July 12 putting the Justice Department's inspector general in charge of investigating allegations of wrongdoing by employees at the bureau.

Under Ashcroft's predecessor, Janet Reno, such probes fell to the FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility -- unless Reno herself directed the inspector general or another entity to investigate.

A similar bill creating a new deputy inspector general position is pending in the Senate.