NYT: Justice Dept. Report Cites F.B.I. Intelligence-Rule Violations

[Pirate Smile]

Justice Dept. Report Cites F.B.I. Intelligence-Rule Violations

By ERIC LICHTBLAU
Published: March 9, 2006

WASHINGTON, March 8 — The Federal Bureau of Investigation found apparent violations of its own wiretapping and other intelligence-gathering procedures more than 100 times in the last two years, and problems appear to have grown more frequent in some crucial respects, a Justice Department report released Wednesday said.

While some of these instances were considered technical glitches, the report, from the department's inspector general, characterized others as "significant," including wiretaps that were much broader in scope than approved by a court and others that were allowed to continue for weeks or sometimes months longer than was authorized.

In one instance, the F.B.I. received the full content of 181 telephone calls as part of an intelligence investigation, instead of merely the billing and toll records as authorized, the report found. In a handful of cases, it said, the bureau conducted physical searches that had not been properly authorized.

The inspector general's findings come at a time of fierce Congressional debate over the program of wiretapping without warrants that the National Security Agency has conducted. That program, approved by President Bush, is separate from the F.B.I. wiretaps reviewed in the report, and the inspector general's office concluded that it did not have the jurisdiction to review the legality or operations of the N.S.A. effort.
But, the report disclosed, the Justice Department has opened reviews into two other controversial counterterrorism tactics that the department has widely employed since the Sept. 11 attacks.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/09/politics/09terror.html?hp&ex=1141880400&en=6331c62403fe22fe&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[Pirate Smile]

1. more

"In one, the inspector general has begun looking into the F.B.I.'s use of administrative subpoenas, known as national security letters, to demand records and documents without warrants in terror investigations. Some critics maintain that the bureau has abused its subpoena powers to demand records in thousands of cases.

In the other, the Office of Professional Responsibility, a Justice Department unit that reviews ethics charges against department lawyers, has opened inquiries related to the detention of 21 people held as material witnesses in terror investigations.

As with the F.B.I.'s use of administrative subpoenas, civil rights advocates assert that the Justice Department has abused the material witness statute by holding suspects whom it may not have enough evidence to charge. The new ethics inquiries are reviewing accusations that department officials did not take some material witnesses to court within the required time, failed to tell them the basis for the arrest or held them without any attempt to obtain their testimony as supposed witnesses in terror investigations, the inspector general said Wednesday.

Representative John Conyers Jr. of Michigan, ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, characterized the report as "yet another vindication for those of us who have raised concerns about the administration's policies in the war on terror."'

[UpInArms]

3. here were my thoughts from 11/7/01

http://www.yourmailinglistprovider.com/pubarchive_show_message.php?haney+454

In a foreign country, a young man breaks a minor law. The rules of this country are harsh and inscrutable. At a trial in which he is allowed no representation, he is sentenced to a three year prison term. Under difficult prison conditions, he later learns that his sentence has been changed to one of thirty years. There have been no communications with others regarding his guilt or innocence. Secrecy reigns and terror is the by-product.

You may say that this scenario is not the United States and you would be correct. This happened in Turkey in 1970. We have laws that prevent that type of thing, you say. You are partially correct. We DID have laws that prevented that type of thing. No longer. Our president has issued an Executive Order regarding the rights of non-citizens in this country. He has stated that there will be military trials, guilt being assessed by a two-thirds majority, without any evidence being offered (due to national security), and that, if found guilty, this foreign person may be executed.

At this time, our justice department has detained, without releasing their names, without disclosing where they are being held, over 1100 persons. We do not know if they are allowed to have an attorney. We do not know in what conditions they are being held. They have not been charged with any crime. At this time, it is believed that they are of Middle Eastern descent. Their "crimes" may be only that of minor visa infractions.

<snip>

What is happening in our nation's Capitol? Our country is now being ruled by fiat, or decree. Laws are being made without discussion or debate. With the stroke of a pen, George W. Bush signed an Executive Order nulifying the judicial branch and an independent jury, which have long been our protections. Under this order, this is no longer true. There are no more checks and balances. All non-citizens face an executive that is now investigator, prosecutor, judge, jury and jailer or executioner.

...more...

It has only gotten much much worse. :(

[kestrel91316]

2. Silly - the FBI is part of the Bush Adminstration. They DON'T HAVE TO

follow any rules they don't want to. You must not have got the memo.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

4. Broom meet Rug.

[Drum]

5. "more than 100 times in the last two years" = 1+ times a week! nt