Exclusive photo. Credit: michellemalkin.com. Country singer Lyle Lovett (left) jokes around on a private tour of the air marshals training facility in Washington, D.C.

The embattled head of the Federal Air Marshals Service, Tom Quinn, is up to no good again. When he’s not bullying rank-and-file marshals for blowing the whistle on idiotic dress code and boarding policies, he’s prancing around the FAMS’ top-secret training facilities with celebrity pal Lyle Lovett. The New York Daily News reported yesterday:

Some federal air marshals were outraged this month when their top official brought his pal Lyle Lovett on a tour of their training facility in Washington, D.C.

Federal Air Marshal Service Director Thomas Quinn guided the singer and a comely brunette companion inside the secret lair early this month. Quinn personally showed Lovett, an old motorcycling friend, a full-size replica of a plane and cockpit used for training. Lovett was also allowed to shoot a SIGARMS .357 in a target gallery hung with photos of terrorists, and to check out counterattack strategies, according to a government source.

One air cop told The News’ terrorism writer James Gordon Meek: “Should a country singer be in a secure facility, firing Federal Air Marshal weapons and participating and viewing Federal Air Marshal training scenarios? Does he have a top secret clearance to do and view this type of training? [Management] is giving Hollywood celebrities their own personal tour and firearms practice.”

The source added, perhaps sarcastically, “I’m sure Lyle won’t tell anybody.”

Lovett’s reps did not return calls on the federal holiday, but Federal Air Marshal Service spokesman Dave Adams confirmed that Lovett and Quinn are friends. But, he told us: “No security was jeopardized. I can guarantee that the general public has been able to see what [Lovett] was shown, because we show the same types of displays through the press on national television.”

Marshals point out that the kind of blabbermouth puff pieces Adams is talking about include one recently broadcast on Paula Zahn’s show on CNN, which endangered marshals by, among other things:

-explicitly describing the Federal Air Marshal Boarding Procedure,

- revealing that FAMs communicate via wireless PDAs and discussing the PDA’s capabilities and deadly shortcomings (potential terrorists now know that FAMs cannot receive vital information from FAM operations to their PDA while in flight),

- displaying audio and visual of a FAM briefing the flight crew (potential terrorists are now aware that every member of the flight crew knows the identity of the FAMs and their specific seats),

- disclosing that FAMs carry .357 Sigs (terrorists can now become familiar with the same weapon as the FAM carries prior to attack),

- divulging that FAMs are only allowed to read books, but are specifically prohibited from listening to music or watching movies and are not allowed to sleep (potential terrorists can now observe who is not listening to music or watching movies to further narrow down the identity of the undercover FAM),

- and disclosing that FAMs profile on-coming passengers and will classify men with short haircuts, military insignia or law enforcement garments as people they will seek help from if the need arises (potential terrorists can now change their appearance to look like a “friendly”).

Marshals are livid at Quinn’s reckless disregard for their safety and his continued war on FAMS employees trying to put the public interest above public relations. How long will the Bush administration keep this joker on board before something truly catastrophic happens?

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Previous:

The “Kill Me First Dress Code”
Air Rage
Air Rage, Pt. II
Dressed for Failure
Another Air Marshal Outrage
Update on the Air Marshals

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