FBI Employees Face Criminal Probe Over Patriot Act Abuse

FBI Employees Face Criminal Probe Over Patriot Act Abuse

www.wired.com

FBI personnel who used misleading emergency letters to acquire thousands of Americans' phone records are the subject of a criminal investigation, top bureau officials told civil liberties groups Monday.

The unprecedented criminal probe, revealed at an outreach meeting led by FBI director Robert Mueller and general counsel Valerie Caproni at FBI headquarters, is looking at the actions of an antiterrorism team known as the Communications Analysis Unit, ....

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The FBI personnel that are being charged are not even authorized to request records from phone companies, only investigators can request such records. These employees were in the Communications Analysis Unit, all they are suppose to do is analyze information that is given to them by investigators. I guess they just decided to start investigating people on their own.

These FBI employees merely told the phone companies that a subpoena was in the works and the phone companies just handed them the requested records. There was no subpoenas in the works.

I wonder how much more of this is going on that you never hear of?

www.wired.com
(visit the link for the full news article)


[edit on 12/7/07 by Keyhole]

Now Keyhole, you know that most cops are honest and would never violate anyones rights or abuse their power. If you don't believe me, just try to tell all those people on the board here that it can and does happen.

Oops! I guess you did.

Just don't expect to be believed.

Everyone who is involved in this on the law enforcement side should do hard time and the phone comapnies who turned over the phone records should have to pay some very heavy fines.

On second thought, if they have to pay fines, then the customers will have to pick up the tab. Send their CEOs to jail, too.