Part of the blame for the Bulger debacle belongs with the FBI itself. The bureau places such a strong emphasis on managing informants that some shady stuff is bound to happen.

The Organized Crime Squad isn't the only branch of the FBI that plays fast and loose with the rules. Whether breaking into gangsters' homes, threatening them with violence, or employing illegal methods of surveillance, the FBI seems to embody the idea that "the ends justify the means." They just don't expect anyone to take it as far as Connolly does.