WASHINGTON (AP) - A blistering Justice Department report accuses the FBI of underreporting its use of the Patriot Act to force businesses to turn over customer information in terrorism cases, according to officials familiar with its findings. The report, to be released Friday, also says the FBI failed to send follow-up subpoenas to telecommunications firms that were told to expect them, according to several government officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the report by the Justice Department's inspector general had not yet been released. Overall, the FBI underreported the number of national security letters it issued by about 20 percent between 2003 and 2005, the officials said. In 2005 alone, the FBI delivered a total of 9,254 letters relating to 3,501 U.S. citizens and legal residents. The Patriot Act, pushed through Congress by the Bush administration after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, allows the FBI to issue national security letters without a judge's approval in terrorism and espionage cases. The letters require telephone companies, Internet service providers, banks, credit bureaus and other businesses to produce highly personal records about their customers or subscribers. It was unclear late Thursday whether the omissions could be considered a criminal offense. One government official familiar with the report said that it concluded that the problems appeared to be unintentional and that FBI agents would probably face administrative sanctions instead of an indictment. The audit, required by Congress over the objections of the Bush administration, contains classified information about how the government pursues terrorists and spies in the United States. The Justice Department began notifying lawmakers of its damning contents late Thursday. FBI Director Robert Mueller was to brief reporters on the report's findings Friday morning, and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was expected to answer questions about it at a privacy rights event in Washington several hours later. <!-- Subject: National Security Letters -->
What really gripes me is that they don't expect any litigation over this, just a few administrative admonishments: after all, violating constitutional rights is such a minor thing compared to say, owning an untaxed firearm.
Yeah, over at my homesteading forum most (all but one or two) who have responded to this story have said merely "I don't care (if the FBI breaks the law and gets away with it), I have nothing to hide". I mean, seriously. These same people are wailing because the country has become so "immoral" and messed up. Where's the "get a clue, pull your head out" smiley? ~Falcon
Without following the specific protocol of the Patriot Act, and doing the paper work, those agents did indeed violate the 4th Ammendment at the very minimum. Surely some lawyer somewhere knows that. What a load of crap! jim
What is encouraging is that Justice is finally doing some oversight of it's most famous arm. What will come of it remains a whole lot of obscure.
This is a suprise??? Lets be honest here, who actually thought that they wouldn't take advantage of it? Most of the gov. agencies don't play by the rules that they make for us to live by. As far as somthing coming of it I imagine that nothing will come of it. A few will get slapped for it and if the press brings it up and starts to whine then someone or maybe two will get offered up as lambs. To sue the gov. it takes three things. Money, Time, Money. No attny is going to take this on if they are in their right mind. For the ones that say well I have nothing to hide heres a news flash. We all have somthing to hide. If people have nothing to hide why do they try to buy guns without paper on them? we all do things that we try to keep below the gov. eyes. Take care Be safe Poacher.
The Organized Crime Control of 1970 defines organized crime as "The unlawful activities of ... a highly organized, disciplined association...". Organized crime, however defined, is characterized by a few basic qualities including durability over time, diversified interests, hierarchical structure, capital accumulation, reinvestment, access to political protection and the use of violence to protect interests.
