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| Attorney General Loretta Lynch Visits Orlando | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| ORLANDO, Fla. — Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch visited this grieving city on Tuesday, nine days after the massacre at the Pulse nightclub and one day after an F.B.I. official said that the agency’s inquiry could take years. | |
| The Justice Department said that Ms. Lynch, who is expected to address reporters in the afternoon, was meeting with victims of the June 12 attack, as well as emergency personnel. | |
| President Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. visited the city last week. The attorney general’s trip comes as Orlando moves, slowly, toward a vague sense of normalcy, with businesses near the popular gay nightclub being allowed to open for the first time since the assault. A temporary fence that was erected around the nightclub has been removed, according to media reports. | |
| The Obama administration has denied an emergency request from Florida for $5 million in federal funds to respond to the Pulse nightclub massacre, a decision Gov. Rick Scott called “incredibly disappointing.” | The Obama administration has denied an emergency request from Florida for $5 million in federal funds to respond to the Pulse nightclub massacre, a decision Gov. Rick Scott called “incredibly disappointing.” |
| In a letter Monday, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, W. Craig Fugate, told the governor that the request, made the day after the shooting, had been denied, because the appeal did not explain how the incident was beyond the capability of the state and local governments. The request also did not demonstrate how federal funds could help protect lives and property, the letter said. | In a letter Monday, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, W. Craig Fugate, told the governor that the request, made the day after the shooting, had been denied, because the appeal did not explain how the incident was beyond the capability of the state and local governments. The request also did not demonstrate how federal funds could help protect lives and property, the letter said. |
| “An emergency declaration is not appropriate for this incident,” Mr. Fugate wrote in the letter, which was released by the governor’s office. | “An emergency declaration is not appropriate for this incident,” Mr. Fugate wrote in the letter, which was released by the governor’s office. |
| “It is unthinkable that President Obama does not define this as an emergency,” Mr. Scott said in a statement. “We are committing every state resource possible to help the victims and the community heal and we expect the same from the federal government.” | “It is unthinkable that President Obama does not define this as an emergency,” Mr. Scott said in a statement. “We are committing every state resource possible to help the victims and the community heal and we expect the same from the federal government.” |
| A spokesman for FEMA, Rafael Lemaitre, said other states where mass shootings occurred, Connecticut, California and Virginia, did not request federal emergency funding. | A spokesman for FEMA, Rafael Lemaitre, said other states where mass shootings occurred, Connecticut, California and Virginia, did not request federal emergency funding. |
| “The only instance in which this administration has received a terrorist-related request for a federal state of emergency was the Boston Marathon bombing, which was an ongoing incident at the time of the request,” Mr. Lemaitre said in an email. “It is extremely uncommon to make a specific request like this for an event that is not ongoing.” | “The only instance in which this administration has received a terrorist-related request for a federal state of emergency was the Boston Marathon bombing, which was an ongoing incident at the time of the request,” Mr. Lemaitre said in an email. “It is extremely uncommon to make a specific request like this for an event that is not ongoing.” |
| Ms. Lynch’s visit here also comes as the Justice Department faces scrutiny for its decisions before and after the attack, which left 49 people dead and 53 wounded. The most recent controversy simmered for part of Monday, when the Justice Department was widely criticized for its initial decision to release only a redacted transcript of the gunman’s call to a 911 operator in Orlando. | Ms. Lynch’s visit here also comes as the Justice Department faces scrutiny for its decisions before and after the attack, which left 49 people dead and 53 wounded. The most recent controversy simmered for part of Monday, when the Justice Department was widely criticized for its initial decision to release only a redacted transcript of the gunman’s call to a 911 operator in Orlando. |
| The gunman, Omar Mateen, who was also killed, pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State in that 50-second call, and federal officials said they had sought to withhold the full transcript to deprive Mr. Mateen and terrorist groups of “a publicity platform for hateful propaganda.” But after a burst of outrage that seemed destined to endure, the Justice Department and the F.B.I. published a complete transcript on Monday afternoon. | The gunman, Omar Mateen, who was also killed, pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State in that 50-second call, and federal officials said they had sought to withhold the full transcript to deprive Mr. Mateen and terrorist groups of “a publicity platform for hateful propaganda.” But after a burst of outrage that seemed destined to endure, the Justice Department and the F.B.I. published a complete transcript on Monday afternoon. |
| “I wanna let you know, I’m in Orlando, and I did the shootings,” Mr. Mateen said, according to the transcript of the call at 2:35 a.m., about 33 minutes after the first reports of gunfire. | “I wanna let you know, I’m in Orlando, and I did the shootings,” Mr. Mateen said, according to the transcript of the call at 2:35 a.m., about 33 minutes after the first reports of gunfire. |
| Asked for his name, Mr. Mateen replied by pledging allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. | Asked for his name, Mr. Mateen replied by pledging allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. |
| Investigators have said, however, that they do not believe that Mr. Mateen, who was 29, received any specific support from the group. | Investigators have said, however, that they do not believe that Mr. Mateen, who was 29, received any specific support from the group. |
| Law enforcement officials have not released complete transcripts of Mr. Mateen’s calls with crisis negotiators. In the excerpts that they did make public, Mr. Mateen complained about American military activities abroad, warned that he might detonate explosives, and said, “In the next few days, you’re going to see more of this type of action going on.” | Law enforcement officials have not released complete transcripts of Mr. Mateen’s calls with crisis negotiators. In the excerpts that they did make public, Mr. Mateen complained about American military activities abroad, warned that he might detonate explosives, and said, “In the next few days, you’re going to see more of this type of action going on.” |
| As F.B.I. agents and other investigators try to reconstruct the siege, as well as Mr. Mateen’s life in the weeks and months before it, officials are also re-examining the agency’s previous interactions with him. | As F.B.I. agents and other investigators try to reconstruct the siege, as well as Mr. Mateen’s life in the weeks and months before it, officials are also re-examining the agency’s previous interactions with him. |
| F.B.I. agents interviewed Mr. Mateen three times in recent years, but he never faced charges. Although the F.B.I. has defended its handling of the inquiries that involved Mr. Mateen, Ms. Lynch has said that the bureau is looking back at those investigations to determine whether its agents should have taken additional action. | F.B.I. agents interviewed Mr. Mateen three times in recent years, but he never faced charges. Although the F.B.I. has defended its handling of the inquiries that involved Mr. Mateen, Ms. Lynch has said that the bureau is looking back at those investigations to determine whether its agents should have taken additional action. |
| Here in Orlando, much of the focus remains on the Pulse inquiry, and the city is girding for a lengthy investigation. | Here in Orlando, much of the focus remains on the Pulse inquiry, and the city is girding for a lengthy investigation. |
| “This investigation is one week and one day old,” Ronald Hopper, an assistant special agent in charge of the F.B.I.’s office in Tampa, Fla., said Monday morning. “And it may last months, and even years.” | “This investigation is one week and one day old,” Ronald Hopper, an assistant special agent in charge of the F.B.I.’s office in Tampa, Fla., said Monday morning. “And it may last months, and even years.” |