It may be technically true that they didn’t have a court order. The words were formed carefully to avoid a later perjury charge. According to something I heard Rush talk about on Friday, I think, the FBI used some kind of document that they are allowed the write themselves and sign off on it themselves to begin an investigation WITHOUT any approval from a judge. If true, how the hell is this even allowed to happen?
National Security Letter
A national security letter (NSL) is an administrative subpoena issued by the United States government to gather information for national security purposes.[citation needed] NSLs do not require prior approval from a judge. Wikipedia