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Ashcroft Lifts previous restrictions on FBI agents
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
FBI Gets More Powers for Domestic Surveillance
May 30, 2002 03:30 PM ET Email this article Printer friendly version
By Deborah Charles
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI on Thursday won additional powers to conduct domestic counterterrorism surveillance that critics said could trample on Americans' constitutional rights.
A quarter century after the government imposed guidelines to curtail domestic spying, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced changes to lift FBI restrictions on conducting surveillance of public gatherings, religious and political organizations and surfing the Internet as part of the government's response to Sept. 11 attacks.
"Today I am announcing comprehensive revisions to the department's investigative guidelines," Ashcroft said. "The guidelines emphasize that the FBI must not be deprived of using all lawful authorized methods in investigations, consistent with the Constitution ... to pursue and prevent terrorist actions."
FBI Director Robert Mueller, whose bureau has been under fire for its failure to act on information that might have prevented the deadly Sept. 11 attacks, said the changes are needed to properly fight terrorism.
"The guidelines changes that the attorney general is announcing today are important, they're important steps to help remove unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles to the effective investigation of terrorist cases," Mueller said.
"These changes complement the reforms we announced yesterday to strengthen our, the FBI's, capacity to prevent terrorism in the wake of September 11."
Ashcroft said the changes will allow FBI agents to do what regular citizens can already do -- monitor and watch events in this area. Under the previous guidelines, FBI agents had to offer evidence of criminal activity to get approval for such surveillance.
Civil liberties and rights groups have warned that the changes could result in a return to the days of domestic spying.
However, President Bush defended the change, saying it was a part of necessary reforms at the FBI.
"We intend to honor our Constitution and respect the freedoms that we hold so dear," he said. "Our most important job is to protect America. And the initiative ... will guarantee our Constitution. And that's important for the citizens to know."
RETURN TO COINTELPRO?
The attorney general's guidelines on surveillance were first imposed on the FBI in 1976 following disclosures that the bureau under the late J. Edgar Hoover had run a widespread domestic surveillance program called Cointelpro.
Critics said the FBI under Hoover had overstepped its authority by using Cointelpro to spy on civil rights activists including Martin Luther King and the Black Panthers, opponents of the Vietnam War and others.
"Apparently Attorney General Ashcroft wants to get the FBI back in the business of spying on religious and political organizations," said Margaret Ratner of the Center for Constitutional Rights. "That alone would be unconstitutional but history suggests the FBI won't stop at passive information gathering. We fear a return to the days of Cointelpro."
U.S. officials denied the moves would just give the government more authority to restrict personal freedoms.
"What these guidelines do is allow them to do what any other law enforcement organization, or in fact any public citizen can do -- go on line, go to public places or events and see what's going on," a Justice Department official said.
"They are strictly focused on counterterrorism activities. If an agent has reason to believe that there may be a terrorism enterprise in his area, he no longer has to wait for the terrorist to act to begin gathering information," he said.
The new guidelines come a day after Mueller announced a changes to focus on fighting terrorism.
Mueller has admitted that the FBI could have done a better job of putting together the clues leading up to the Sept. 11 attacks by hijacked airliners but said he doubts they could have been prevented.
The change in the guidelines are in part a response to a memo written by Coleen Rowley, an FBI agent in Minneapolis, who complained that tough rules and bureaucracy hampered the initial investigation of Zacarias Moussaoui, who was later charged with conspiring in the attacks.
http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=topnews&StoryID=1031034
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
May 30, 2002 03:30 PM ET Email this article Printer friendly version
By Deborah Charles
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI on Thursday won additional powers to conduct domestic counterterrorism surveillance that critics said could trample on Americans' constitutional rights.
A quarter century after the government imposed guidelines to curtail domestic spying, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced changes to lift FBI restrictions on conducting surveillance of public gatherings, religious and political organizations and surfing the Internet as part of the government's response to Sept. 11 attacks.
"Today I am announcing comprehensive revisions to the department's investigative guidelines," Ashcroft said. "The guidelines emphasize that the FBI must not be deprived of using all lawful authorized methods in investigations, consistent with the Constitution ... to pursue and prevent terrorist actions."
FBI Director Robert Mueller, whose bureau has been under fire for its failure to act on information that might have prevented the deadly Sept. 11 attacks, said the changes are needed to properly fight terrorism.
"The guidelines changes that the attorney general is announcing today are important, they're important steps to help remove unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles to the effective investigation of terrorist cases," Mueller said.
"These changes complement the reforms we announced yesterday to strengthen our, the FBI's, capacity to prevent terrorism in the wake of September 11."
Ashcroft said the changes will allow FBI agents to do what regular citizens can already do -- monitor and watch events in this area. Under the previous guidelines, FBI agents had to offer evidence of criminal activity to get approval for such surveillance.
Civil liberties and rights groups have warned that the changes could result in a return to the days of domestic spying.
However, President Bush defended the change, saying it was a part of necessary reforms at the FBI.
"We intend to honor our Constitution and respect the freedoms that we hold so dear," he said. "Our most important job is to protect America. And the initiative ... will guarantee our Constitution. And that's important for the citizens to know."
RETURN TO COINTELPRO?
The attorney general's guidelines on surveillance were first imposed on the FBI in 1976 following disclosures that the bureau under the late J. Edgar Hoover had run a widespread domestic surveillance program called Cointelpro.
Critics said the FBI under Hoover had overstepped its authority by using Cointelpro to spy on civil rights activists including Martin Luther King and the Black Panthers, opponents of the Vietnam War and others.
"Apparently Attorney General Ashcroft wants to get the FBI back in the business of spying on religious and political organizations," said Margaret Ratner of the Center for Constitutional Rights. "That alone would be unconstitutional but history suggests the FBI won't stop at passive information gathering. We fear a return to the days of Cointelpro."
U.S. officials denied the moves would just give the government more authority to restrict personal freedoms.
"What these guidelines do is allow them to do what any other law enforcement organization, or in fact any public citizen can do -- go on line, go to public places or events and see what's going on," a Justice Department official said.
"They are strictly focused on counterterrorism activities. If an agent has reason to believe that there may be a terrorism enterprise in his area, he no longer has to wait for the terrorist to act to begin gathering information," he said.
The new guidelines come a day after Mueller announced a changes to focus on fighting terrorism.
Mueller has admitted that the FBI could have done a better job of putting together the clues leading up to the Sept. 11 attacks by hijacked airliners but said he doubts they could have been prevented.
The change in the guidelines are in part a response to a memo written by Coleen Rowley, an FBI agent in Minneapolis, who complained that tough rules and bureaucracy hampered the initial investigation of Zacarias Moussaoui, who was later charged with conspiring in the attacks.
http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=topnews&StoryID=1031034
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Comments
I'll even go so far as to suggest that upper FBI and CIA management should be fired, stripped of their pensions and charged with treason!!
These are the same inept fools that became so concerned with inter-agency back-biting, turf wars and playing EVERYTHING for political advantage that they completely disregarded their duty to this country and it's citizens.
These "public servants" have been so busy suckling at the public teat, they completely forgot why they were put in those positions in the first place, to protect and serve the people of this nation.
Many of these ignorant, highly paid bureaucrat bufoons knew full well the pitiful service they were providing to our country could well cause the loss of American lives. They were just so busy shining their * and trading stock options on government owned computers, they were afraid it might "rock the boat" if they actually did the jobs they were paid to do.
Now we are expected to trust them with MORE AUTHORITY, instead of stripping them of any and all authority they already possess?
Just how foolish can the American public be?
Don't think for a minute that these new powers will end with uncovering "acts of terrorism". Soon these same powers will be applied to keeping databases full of information on anyone the Feds see fit to track!
How many members of this board have what could be considered an 'arsenal of high powered weapons', and/or 'thousands of rounds of ammunition'? Not me of course, just a little single shot .22 and half a box of .22 shorts ,,,, I'm completely harmless!
The rest of you better watch out though, the "jack booted thugs" are not far off!!!
The Bush administration makes a big show of supporting second amendment rights, while using a sledge hammer on the rest of our constitution.
I fear our new President is actually a spineless whore, much as our last president was.
JMHO
Stan