US Features
FBI admits it violated controls on data gathering
By Pat Reber Mar 9, 2007, 22:41 GMT
Washington - The head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Friday conceded shortcomings that violated legal protections during its surveillance of telephone, business and financial records in the fight against international terrorism.
The admission by FBI director Robert Mueller followed release of a congressionally-mandated report that identified errors in issuing so- called 'national security letters.'
The letters allow the FBI to circumvent normal requirements for police to get court approval or subpoenas before gathering evidence.
At issue are the hotly-debated provisions under the USA Patriot Act, which critics charge violate civil liberties and privacy. The law, passed in the emotional outrage after the 2001 terrorist attacks, gives FBI agents unprecedented authority to seek private data without judicial approval even in domestic cases.
Prior to 2001, such national security letters could only be used in espionage and terrorism cases that involved suspected agents of foreign powers, according to The New York Times.
The report by the Inspector General found no evidence of intentional abuse of the authority, but said controls were often lacking and even controls that were in place were not carried out.
It cited cases where telephones, banks and internet providers went beyond the FBI requests for data. The extra information was often then stored by the FBI instead of destroyed, as required by law.
The report also said that because controls were lacking, the FBI was giving wrong information to Congress about the number of national security letters it had issued.
'My concern is that we did not pick up those mistakes ourselves,' Meller said. 'There were serious deficiencies in our tracking and internal controls.'
The report came at a time that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who oversees the FBI, is under fire for dismissing eight federal attorneys, some of whom were subjected to intimidating phone calls from Republican lawmakers about politically-tinged investigations.
The actions, along with the inspector general's report, have raised hackles in the new Democrat-contolled Congress, where legislators vowed Friday to stop the White House's growing claim to sole authority in running the country.
'This administration has had six years of a rubber-stamp Congress,' said Senator Patrick Leahy. Leahy said the FBI's reported abuse of new powers reflected the attitude 'that has arisen in this administration that the end does justify the means.'
Gonzales, clearly worried about the fall-out from the report, Friday said he was 'upset' when he learned that the FBI's reporting 'to Congress has been inaccurate.'
'Undoubtedly, some will argue that the FBI should forfeit its authority to use this tool,' he told the International Association of Privacy Professionals at a 'privacy summit,' according to a copy of his prepared remarks.
Gonzales said the national security letters help investigators to ease time pressures while tying 'together the various threads of the life of a suspected terrorist.'
But he added that he was 'keenly aware that to make progress in our war against terrorism, or in any conflict, at the cost of eroding privacy and civil liberties would not really be a victory.'
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
Does anyone remember the virulent name calling from those on the 'political right', because we opposed these 'unchecked policies' when they were first enacted?
They shamelessly attacked us, saying we were overly and foolishly concerned that abuses would happen (repeatedly saying incorrect and unfounded things like 'You just want the terrorists to win')
The reality was, we just wanted 'legal protections' put into place that would prevent this kind of abuse.
I can't tell you how many times they asked me 'Why do you hate freedom?'
Well, my question to them now is ... 'Why can't you understand what freedom is?'
'If you've done nothing wrong then you have nothing to worry about.' Add this to the list of BS from the Bush apologists
These things happen to you every day, by corporations. They sift your records and you never know it.
The idea that you have an expectation of privacy on records i.e. phone, credit, etc., that are held by OTHER entities is absurd.
Read the 4th amendment, consider it's origins, the time when it was written and ask if this is really relevant to the time we live in.
Where was the outrage when Clinton appropriated 800 FBI records of his political enemies?
Too bad we can't ask Vince Foster.
By the way, I'm voting for Hillary. If she wins, she will have to sit in the chair her husband got a hummer in. I'll bet she gives it a good scrubbing.
Yeah, Boo Hoo. Real thinks we employ choir boys to do the hard dirty work of counterintel. People who would risk prosecution to help Americans stay safe.
I'll take one of these guys to 1000 Patrick Leahy's any day of the week. Congress is occupied by traitors.
Time to grow up.Like SP4 says, over and over, time to get real, real.
Rock on.
Name calling? Who's right now? Protections against this kind of abuse? The 'intent' of tracking terrorist behavior is good? Why can't you understand what freedom is?
This is surreal. Your country is in real danger of losing a city to a nuclear blast. I couldn't stomach re-reading the quotes above in the wake of that.
I'm not disputing your respective claims; if only because they smack of: 'The town may be ablaze, but dammit keep those firemen off everybody's lawns!'
'Your country is in real danger of losing a city to a nuclear blast. I couldn't stomach re-reading the quotes above in the wake of that.
I'm not disputing your respective claims; if only because they smack of: 'The town may be ablaze, but dammit keep those firemen off everybody's lawns!''
Dead on, unfortunately.
...understand what freedom is. Unfortunately, most of the complainers fail to realize that the Constitution is neither the bible, or a suicide pact.
Would this result in the release of thousands of Muslims indicted and imprisoned because of FBI and their co-conspirator's conspiracies?
NO!
So what is the effect of this acceptance and repentance if there i9s any?
'Would this result in the release of thousands of Muslims indicted and imprisoned because of FBI and their co-conspirator's conspiracies?'
The idea that there have been 'thousands of Muslims indicted and imprisoned' because of some vast conspiracy is idiotic. The majority of Muslims in prison converted to islam in prison. Good grief...
A lot of the comments here are realy absurd.Thinking seems to become a crime and is replaced with muscleflexing .Over and over again the same simpletons defend Bush on account that without hisd presence your country would become the tartget of so called terrorists .How convenient that after the demise of communism this new ennemy arised indeed.Convenient for the military industrial complex which became obsolete overnight and was desperately looking for a good reason to continue selling and developping weapons .
So now you are faced with the situation that a few thousand imbeciles from Al Quaida have become the biggest excuse for the record military spending that occurs in the US.As if the war against these idiots need this kind of overspending to be fought.
That is the solution for the simpleminded which are unable to understand anything that stretches further than the Batman and Superman logics .
Does anybody realy think that the motivation for these guys to commit their crimes is as simple as jealousy for the lifestyle of the west,hatred of freedom and liberty ?Those who reduce complex issues to this kind of statements are beyond any poosibility to understand the world as it is .
They rely on tainted information and propaganda ,just like their opponents in fact .
To understand for example the motivation and mentality of the arab people I would suggest to rtead Robert Frisk ,a notorious english reporter .You will discover how elaborate and complex the situation is.
Summarized I would say to all:do not shrink the world to your mental capabilities,rather expand your mental capabilities to understand the complexity of everything .
First, Tony, this is not, as you suggest, unfathonable.
I have been hearing about the military industrial complex for 4 decades, and it is hogwash. The bonehead conspiracists have been rowing this boat forever. Not once, can they show any real impact of such a fantasy. Other fantasies: Dick Cheney and ( insert anything you want to, everyone else does), the Loch Ness monster, theory of Atlantis, spirit mediums, etc.
We don't need to invent enemies because they invent themselves. If you disagree, go read about the poisonings and assassinations in the world. Totalitarianism is as alive today as it was 50 years ago. It will never go away because people will enslave themselves if properly motivated. Just go ask the Venezuelans
You, yourself, live under a mantle of freedom that we, the USA, partially provide. If not, you would be speaking Russian for the last 40 years. I can't help this, except to say that it seems to serve the greater good.
The middle east is just Africa with money. Remove the cash and they'd be herding goats. Instead, they are world players. Is Islam complex? No more than any other religion. Are middle east politics complex? No more than any place else.
We have choices. I have already picked a side. You should too.
You can say the moon is dark and sun is black! It is your opinion and you are entitled to it. The wolf had its own opinion and justifuication to eat the lamb. THE FACT REMAINS THAT LOTS OF MUSLIMS HAVE BEEN IMPRISONED, LAST TWO FROM ALBANY, NY., BY A CORRUPT COURT ALONG WITH FBI.
How many people were in G-bay and did they attack US or any other westtern country?
What do you think of WTC destruction being announced, half hour before the planes hit them, watch UK news and the video on you tube.
This is the same You Tube running the conspiricy tape that was completely debunked?
Tough break for the last two. I know what you mean. Louis Libby got railroaded too. I don't see anyone crying about that in lib land...? Perhaps Patrick Leahy can comment on that...
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Get RealMar 9th, 2007 - 23:30:00
This is exactly why we originally criticized this data gathering policy when it was enacted.
The way it bypassed judicial oversight almost guaranteed they would abuse it.
The intent of tracking terrorist behavior is good, but as we see, when the foxes in the bush administration have the key to the hen house, they can't be trusted with it.
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