First, it’s spelled “tutu”.
And I don’t think it’s really a crime for FBI agents. After all, J. Edgar Hoover did quite well with a red chiffon evening dress and a black boa.
Exactly what you should do if they are treating you as a possible suspect (usually by reading you your rights). Per ACLU, etc. But as a witness you should cooperate.
ianal
Can you answer the questions? I don’t know. Should you answer the questions? That’s up to you, but you should reserve your right to counsel.
If you have a doubt, you should refuse to answer the questions and consult a lawyer.
If they have a subpoena, you should politely decline to answer the questions and request a lawyer.
However, I can tell you from real-world experience involving me, that I was subpoenaed by the United States and provided information to the FBI and the an Assistant Attorney General of the United States in regards to an SEC investigation.
I didn’t consult a lawyer, simply because I had done nothing wrong. I answered the questions and I doubt my interview made a difference in the case. I was never called to testify in the trial, so I assume whatever I told the FBI didn’t matter.
In retrospect, hiring a lawyer may have made the situation worse by implying complicity that really didn’t exist. I don’t know. Maybe I was naive, but no one has been knocking on my door since then. And the case is long since closed.
So, my experience is worthless unless you may have some reason to really need a lawyer.
For normal clearances, there is a special group of contractors, not even federal employees, who do the legwork. If you are getting appointed to a cabinet position or head of the CIA, etc, as I understand it, you will get the attention of the G-men.
When I was in the Army I interacted with an agent doing background checks for security clearances twice. I don’t really know much about her background because I just happened to be in the room once, and the other time she was asking me about a neighbor I didn’t know. I do remember that she had a badge though. I’m not sure if that means she was a federal agent or not, but that’s what she presented herself as.
Just did one of these interviews last week actually. It was pretty funny. I kind of expected some member of law enforcement to come knocking on my door. Instead here comes this tiny 5’2 early 50s blond woman.
She herself even giggled over the “…belongs to a group determined to violently overthrow the federal government” question. 
I would have thought that the first thing to do would be to dial 911 and confirm the identity of the agent.
Just the sort of thing you don’t want to get back to your current employer.
So how could they convict you of something if you weren’t actually guilty of something ?
Unless of course you were.
You’re gonna call your county’s emergency response center to talk to the FBI? :dubious:
Because no innocent person has ever been convicted of a crime.
Anyway here is the video.
You realize your local FBI is in the phone book, right? They work in one of those boring concrete government buildings, not a lair with a lava moat.
Yes. Here in the U.K. it’s what you’re supposed to do if you need to confirm the identity of a policeman. And you likely don’t have the time to find the FBI’s phone number - well, you won’t if they are a bad guy.
Yup. They never explicitly the potential employer. In my BI (which I FOIA’d - it’s a hilarious read), one of my references (a former roommate) said there’s “There’s no way GiantRat should work for the [agency]. He’s too smart. He should be a teacher or something.” That was considered derogatory information, despite the same reference attesting to my patriotism and loyalty. Go figure. Anyway, I got cleared (despite the more amusing notes made about my personnel interview with the investigator).
Heh. Yeah, they have badges. A friend of mine where I used to work (where everyone had clearances) was a Special Agent. He was refusing to answer a personal question (and had held a clearance for many years already). The idiot investigator pulled out the badge and threatened him for impeding an official investigation. So my buddy pulled out his badge and said, “I have a badge, too. Federal fucking agent. I wear a gun. Go fuck yourself.”
End of interview.
In NJ, they kind of have a moat. Without going into detail, it’s a big building along the river.
I was once interviewed by an RCMP officer. I had agreed to be interviewed, but I certainly could have refused. But the person in question had already been deported (he was a Cuban grad student who was alleged–he didn’t deny–having been used as mule to transmit info from a real spy to the local consul). It was a pretty funny interview; I came away with the strong impression that these guys were pretty stupid. I assume that once I agreed to the interview, I was under some obligation to answer.
That’s what a neighbor of ours said once to a cop at the door. He said enough to make himself appear guilty, even though he wasn’t.
The contractors had ‘badges’, little metal things that looked like law enforcement badges. Now, as I remember the last time I was interviewed (happens to me a couple of times a year. about other people), it is just an ID card. For years, they have made it clear to me that they are contractors working for OMB.
Yup. I was interviewed about out next door neighbor, and the person doing the interview was a current FBI agent. Not sure what position the neighbor had, but I know he worked at Los Alamos.
The rivers in New Jersey probably are indeed lava.