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ATTTORNEY GENERAL REQUESTS REVIEW

WASHINGTON, DC-- On Friday, March 9, Attorney General John Ashcroft requested that the Inspector General of the Justice Department conduct a thorough review of the Robert Phillip Hanssen matter.

The review will examine the Department's performance in preventing, detecting and investigating Hanssen's espionage activities, similar to the Office of Inspector General 's April 1997 review of the Aldrich Ames matter. The Inspector General will coordinate this review with the Hanssen prosecution team, so as to not interfere with the ongoing criminal investigation and with Judge William Webster's review of the FBI's internal security functions and procedures in order to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort.

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