[ikka]

Correct me if I am wrong but the US Attorney makes these kinds of decisions. When the Clintons came to power they fired ALL the US Atty's and installed their own.

[zip]

Correct. You win the award for AWARENESS.

[Nita Nupress]

. The Minneapolis agents sought approval to do so—and to take other investigative steps aimed at Moussaoui—in early September under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), officials said.

According to the article, the search was requested under the FISA court. From one of the articles linked below:

With FISA, Congress created a special five-judge panel in Washington, conveniently housed within Justice Department headquarters, to hear secret FBI testimony and issue orders for electronic surveillance against foreign nationals or U.S. citizens suspected of serving foreign governments. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court operates under tight security, and its orders are never made public.

Secret FISA court authorizes more FBI taps, bugs and black bag jobs than ever before
The Secret FISA Court: Rubber Stamping Our Rights
Inside America’s Secret Court

[Sandy]

Correct me if I am wrong but the US Attorney makes these kinds of decisions.

The Attorney General and the Deputy AG are the only people authorized to approve a FISA search.