Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said on Sunday the FBI needed to disclose whether it required more resources after admitting agents did not follow protocol when they received a tip about a lone gunman last month who killed 17 people in a high school shooting in South Florida this past Wednesday.
“I think that it’s for the FBI to tell us whether they have the adequate resources,” Johnson told ABC’s “This Week.”
But Johnson added there was “a role for the public to play” given that the premier federal law enforcement agency had “a lot of their plate.”
“We are not a police state. The police, federal law enforcement cannot be on every street corner, in every school, at every kitchen table,” he said.
“When we see someone turning to violence — and this was apparently the case here — people should be encouraged to say something when they see suspicious behavior,” Johnson continued. “This is something I talked about repeatedly when I was secretary of Homeland Security, and we need to continue to emphasize that message.”
Does the FBI have the manpower to follow up on all its tips? Former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson tells @MarthaRaddatz “It’s for the FBI to tell us whether there are adequate resources.” He adds “There is also a role for the public to play… we are not a police state.” #ThisWeek pic.twitter.com/xj53x8iFZh
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) February 18, 2018
On Friday, the FBI revealed it received a tip in January about Nikolas Cruz, 19, the confessed shooter who killed 17 people on Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., with an AR-style rifle.
The FBI said the tip was that Cruz had been behaving erratically and threatening to murder people, but “protocols were not followed” to pursue the information further.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has ordered an “immediate review” of the Department of Justice and FBI.
The failing comes as the FBI faces questions from Republicans and Trump supporters over concerns of political bias.
