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FBI under pressure to reorganize

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Before the September 11 attacks, the FBI was reeling over a series of embarrassing missteps. Among them were:

-- Its investigation into espionage allegations at the Los Alamos National Laboratory that led to the controversial arrest of Chinese-American nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee, who was charged with 59 felony counts of mishandling classified data and was jailed for nine months. Lee eventually pleaded guilty to a single count, and the FBI was criticized for its treatment of the Taiwan-born naturalized citizen.

VIDEO FBI Director Robert Mueller admits the agency needs an overhaul. CNN's Susan Candiotti reports (November 6) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

-- The arrest of former FBI agent Robert Hanssen, who recently pleaded guilty to 15 counts of espionage.

-- The revelation that hundreds of FBI documents in the Oklahoma City bombing investigation were not disclosed to defense attorneys until days before the scheduled execution of Timothy McVeigh. That revelation prompted a delay in McVeigh's execution.

-- The U.S. Justice Department's announcement that more than 400 weapons and more than 180 computers had been lost or stolen over a 10-year period.

The miscues led Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy to say during Robert Mueller's confirmation as FBI director that while the FBI was "the crown jewel" of law enforcement agencies, "that jewel has lost some of its luster."

Mueller promised to make management and administrative changes and vowed to restore public confidence in the agency.

He took office September 5, less than a week before the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

CNN Correspondent Susan Candiotti reports on the high-profile investigations into the attacks and the anthrax cases that have intensified calls for changes at the FBI.