FBI says it has files on ACLU, Greenpeace, other rights groups

Associated Press ^ | July 17, 2005, 11:51PM | UNKNOWN

[Jay777]

WASHINGTON — The FBI has thousands of pages of records in its files relating to the monitoring of civil rights, environmental and similar advocacy groups, the Justice Department acknowledges.

The organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union and Greenpeace, are suing for the release of the documents. The organizations contend that the material will show that they have been subjected to scrutiny by FBI task forces set up to combat terrorism.

The FBI has identified 1,173 pages related to the ACLU and 2,383 pages about Greenpeace, but it needs at least until February to process the ACLU files and until June to review the Greenpeace documents, the government said in a filing in U.S. District Court in Washington.

The FBI has not said specifically what those pages contain. The ACLU's executive director, Anthony Romero, said the disclosure indicates that the FBI is monitoring organizations that are engaging in lawful conduct.

"I know for an absolute fact that we have not been involved in anything related to promoting terrorism and yet the government has collected almost 1,200 pages on our activities," Romero said. "Why is the ACLU now the subject of scrutiny from the FBI?"

John Passacantando, Greenpeace's U.S. executive director, said his group is a forceful, but peaceful, critic of the Bush administration's war and environmental policies.

"This administration has a history of using its powers against its peaceful critics. If, in fact, the FBI has been deployed to help in that effort, that would be quite shocking," Passacantando said.

Justice Department and FBI spokesmen declined to comment, citing the ongoing case. The FBI has denied singling out individuals or groups for surveillance or investigation based solely on activities protected by the Constitution's guarantees of free speech.

[highball]

Fine - they've investigated, if they already have these files. Where's the evidence of criminal activity?

I'm not willing to allow this because I'm not willing to allow the Clintons to do the exact same thing. Any power we give to this President or his administration will be retained by one we won't trust to use it wisely.

[rj45mis]

The Clintons were scrutinizing FBI files on individuals that could thwart their hidden agenda. Investigating activities of organizations that, because of their political agenda, are obviously willing to throw the baby out with the bath water is a different matter altogether. However I can understand the logic in your thinking.

[ravingnutter]

"This administration has a history of using its powers against its peaceful critics.

Oh please...the Clintons hold the Guinness World record on that.

If, in fact, the FBI has been deployed to help in that effort, that would be quite shocking,"

The FBI is just doing their job...tracking whackjobs. If the ACLU didn't back radical organizations that commit domestic acts of terrorism like the ELF (accounting for between $40 million and $100 million in damage to date), they wouldn't have to worry.

[highball]

We'll see.

I'd rather that they actually keep an eye on real terrorists than political opponents.

And the overwrought hyperbole notwithstanding, Greenpeace doesn't count.