Don't worry, we've been assured that the PATRIOT act hasn't been and can't be used by FBI in an abusive way (and, therefore, we should allow it's reauthorization without concern or hesitation).
Don't worry, we've been assured that the PATRIOT act hasn't been and can't be used by FBI in an abusive way
In the article it states:
In one case, FBI agents kept an unidentified target under surveillance for at least five years
and gives the timeframe for the cases involved as
cases from 2002 to 2004
Meaning the five year investigation had to have started during the Clinton administration.
Making a very simple check, the Patriot Act was signed into law on October 25, 2001, so the particular violations are not necessarily related to it in any way. In fact, the body that investigated the allegations, the "Intelligence Oversight Board, an arm of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board that is charged with examining violations of the laws and directives governing clandestine surveillance" is a product of the protections built into the Patriot Act for allowing review of alleged or potential violations.
Now, the accuser, in this case, David Sobel, of EPIC, at first glance appears to be the ACLUs captive geek lawyer. I will research him a bit, but this strikes me as a very suspect and self serving spin piece, not a realistic depiction of what's going on.
Can anyone say Gorelick?