[Ray76]

NSLs are secret demand letters issued without court approval or independent oversight to financial institutions, telecommunications and Internet service providers and credit agencies to obtain sensitive personal information such as financial records, credit reports, the phone numbers and email addresses with which a person has communicated, and possibly the websites a person visited. The Patriot Act did not create NSLs, but before the act, only senior FBI officials could authorize their use, and the law required the FBI to certify that there were “specific and articulable facts giving reason to believe” the target of the NSL was an “agent of a foreign power.”

[ ]

The IG audits also confirmed that 40,000-50,000 NSLs were issued every year during the mid-2000s, and in 2006 a majority of them were directed against people in the U.S. This sort of broad, suspicionless collection of private data about innocent Americans is the logical result of destroying the requirement of a factual nexus between an NSL and terrorist activity.

[ ]

With no internal controls and with complete disregard for the law, FBI agents soon ignored the minimal process involved in issuing NSLs and instead issued “exigent letters,” falsely claiming emergencies to obtain records without legal process. These illegal requests—sometimes just a phone number written on a Post-it note—were often given to the telecommunications companies with the promise that an NSL or grand jury subpoena would follow, but more often than not these promises went unfulfilled. Some agents found even Post-it notes too burdensome and instead asked company employees to just pull up a person’s phone records so they could peek over their shoulder to see whether a formal request such as an NSL was worthwhile.

There are also demonstrated problems with how the FBI handles data it receives in response to an NSL. Rather than using NSLs as an investigative tool, as Congress clearly intended by only allowing them to be used when the information sought was relevant to an ongoing investigation, the FBI was using NSLs for mass data collection.

http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/national_security_letters_building_blocks_for_investigations_or_intrusive_t/

[Ray76]

Mueller was FBI Director September 4, 2001 - September 4, 2013.

[Carl Vehse]

AG Sessions will be getting Mueller and other FBI criminals indicted........................................................... any day now.

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

(from the article): " Rather than using NSLs as an investigative tool,
as Congress clearly intended by only allowing them to be used when the information sought was relevant to an ongoing investigation,
the FBI was using NSLs for mass data collection."

NSLs used not as investigation tool ,
but rather used for "fishing expedition".

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

[Whenifhow]

PING!!!

(2007) Justice Department Audit Reveals FBI Misused Patriot Act

Article and comments, esp #1 among others

Thanks, Ray76 & H/T Tilted Irish Kilt

[mistfree]

The to convene a grand jury?

[GOPJ]

With no internal controls and with complete disregard for the law, FBI agents soon ignored the minimal process involved in issuing NSLs and instead issued “exigent letters,” falsely claiming emergencies to obtain records without legal process. These illegal requests—sometimes just a phone number written on a Post-it note—were often given to the telecommunications companies with the promise that an NSL or grand jury subpoena would follow, but more often than not these promises went unfulfilled. Some agents found even Post-it notes too burdensome and instead asked company employees to just pull up a person’s phone records so they could peek over their shoulder to see whether a formal request such as an NSL was worthwhile.

Sessions needs to haul the 'deep state' into a Court of Law...

[mad_as_he$$]

Another DUH! moment and by the way - NO $HIT! We warned you.