Sen. Rick Scott wants answers from the FBI on what the agency did to discipline employees who bungled tips received before the Parkland school shooting.
More than a year after the massacre, the FBI still hasn’t provided a full accounting.
Scott, a Republican, sent a letter this week to FBI Director Christopher Wray requesting an update on agency changes since the Feb. 14, 2018, shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 students and staff dead.
“I am sure that you agree these failures are inexcusable, and so I request an update on the steps you have taken to hold accountable those responsible for these grave lapses in your agency’s core investigative function,” Scott wrote.
Scott — when he was serving as governor — called upon the FBI’s director to resign two days after the shooting when lapses were made public.
The FBI issued a public apology for failing to properly investigate the Parkland shooter and mishandling two separate tips it received about shooter Nikolas Cruz’s plans. But the agency faced criticism from families who lost loved ones in the shooting for being reluctant to share information with them and offering vague responses to questions.
The agency learned in September 2017 that someone with the username “nikolas cruz” had posted a comment on a YouTube video that said, “I am going to be a professional school shooter.”
The agency did little to track down the person behind the comment and closed the investigation after 16 days.