Posted on 04/28/2006 10:11:10 AM PDT by SmithL
WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department's internal watchdog has found no evidence to support claims the FBI used terrorism investigations to intimidate political protesters at the 2004 Democratic and Republican conventions.
In particular, Inspector General Glenn A. Fine said FBI agents and prosecutors were pursuing a credible threat of violence at the Democratic National Convention in Boston when they subpoenaed three people to testify in front of a federal grand jury while the convention was being held.
"We concluded that the FBI's interviews of potential convention protesters and its related investigative activities were initiated and conducted for legitimate law enforcement purposes," Fine wrote in a 37-page report that was spurred by news articles and complaints from civil liberties groups. Fine's reports often are critical of the bureau.
The American Civil Liberties Union has complained that the FBI tried to intimidate political protesters by claiming to be investigating domestic terror threats.
Sued by the ACLU and other rights groups, the FBI has acknowledged that it has thousands of pages of records in its files relating to the monitoring of civil rights, environmental and similar advocacy groups. The bureau has denied violating free speech rights.
Leading up the 2004 political conventions, the FBI investigated 17 threats of violence, of which six appeared most serious, Fine said.
Of those, the threat involving the three people who received subpoenas led FBI agents to 33 people in three states, 17 of whom refused to answer agents' questions, Fine said.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
I've read that Abe Lincoln jailed over 3000 people in the north for speaking out against the war.
Well, if the DOJ says it's so, it must be so. I have never known a government 'internal watchdog' to be anything but objective and rigorous in its findings concerning its parent agency.
Hm. No lightning, so I guess there isn't any God.
Abe should have shot them all. Down with treason!
Wait, when did I start channeling Harry Hamlin? Normally I channel B.F. Butler. (sigh) My hero!
Ping! Thought you might be interested given your concern on the earlier thread.
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