The Federal Bureau of Investigation is reported to have launched a criminal investigation into FBI employees’ alleged misuse of national security letters to obtain information on Americans.
According to Wired News, the FBI revealed the investigation to civil liberties groups in a secret meeting Monday. According to meeting attendees who spoke to Wired News, the investigation is focusing on the FBI’s Communications Analysis Unit, which is responsible for analyzing communications it obtains and providing the intelligence to FBI counterterrorism investigators.
An FBI spokesman refused to confirm or deny that an investigation was underway.
The privately disclosed investigation would mark the first time government officials have faced possible prosecution for misuse of Patriot Act investigative tools, and highlights the seriousness of recent reports about the FBI’s misuse of a powerful self-issued subpoena known as a National Security Letter.
Unit employees, who are not authorized to request records in investigations, sent form letters to telephone companies to acquire detailed billing information on specific phone numbers by falsely promising that subpoenas were already in the works.
According to a third source, FBI officials also said at the meeting that some bureau employees have already been granted immunity from prosecution in the investigation. The third source, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, did not recall, however, that FBI officials described the investigation as “criminal.” — Wired News
Documents released to the Electronic Frontier Foundation last week pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act request showed that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was informed of violations of law and FBI procedure relating to national security letters as early as 2005.
In March, the DOJ inspector general released a report which said that the FBI repeatedly failed to follow the law and procedure when using national security letters and exigent letters, a related investigative tool. And an audit released in June found over 1,000 violations in the FBI’s use of national security letters.
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Karl Marx would love the popular moves among politicians in various state governments and the federal government to ban so-called "junk" food in schools, and to "put healthy food in" convenience stores and on the tables of those they define as poor. It's a very elitist and arrogant mindset that promotes this ideology, and it needs to be addressed.
Ultimately, the war supporters in Congress prevailed in the vote on the resolution. Still, the vote was significant because it places every member of Congress on the record as supporting or not supporting the unconstitutional, costly, violent occupation of a country that never attacked us. This vote should serve as an important reminder to the American people of where their representatives really stand when it comes to policing the world, empire building, and war.
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Tom from Orlando
Jul 18, 2007
I love it when the government probes itself! That just sounded really perverted…. :)
Next time some one complains about Wal-Mart doing bad things, I’m going to recommend Wal-Mart go probe itself. There’s some fair and balanced justice!
Fergie
Jul 18, 2007
Worse yet:
“An FBI unit reportedly facing a criminal investigation for abusing the Patriot Act is asking Congress for $5.3 million in 2008 to continue paying three telecommunications companies to store Americans phone and internet records for years and to provide instantaneous access. The Justice Department has long been pushing telecommunications companies to retain phone and internet records for longer periods of time, and the contracts largely achieve the FBI’s goals.”
Via Threat Level:
- ferg
Fixer
Jul 19, 2007
The FBI investigating itself? What a colossal waste of time. Knowing that most people would question any outcome of such an investigation, the FBI might, at a minimum, bring in an independent investigator to create the illusion of ethical behavior.
advocate
Jul 19, 2007
Another Orwellian moment, this time brought to you by the fine folks at the FBI—–look around, similar mind numbing behavior
pervades all levels of government, infecting us with fear, confusion, and the covenant that we all fall in line. And fall in line we do.
crow bait
Jul 23, 2007
… except that he probably did not suffer enough by taking the poison. That’s the only sad thing I can think of.
dave sherry
Dec 22, 2007
its is happenning here to me in key west