The Federal Bureau of Investigation's"Domestic Investigations and Operation Guide"



NY Times

Government

A new ruling is expected to have broad implications for federal wiretapping law. Barack Obama, when a United States senator, was highly critical of the presidential wiretapping power claimed by Mr. Bush, and threatened to filibuster the final bill. But he ultimately voted for the Protect America Act. A federal appeals court has now for the first time has ruled on the constitutional question of the president’s wiretapping power.


The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, in a decision released January 15 '09, has found that the Protect America Act did not violate the Constitution because the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures, contained an exception for the collection of foreign intelligence information.

The opinion is not expected to directly rule on the legality of the once-secret operation authorized by President Bush between October 2001 and early 2007, which allowed the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on the international communications of Americans suspected of ties to terrorists. The disclosure of the program’s existence in The New York Times in December 2005 set off a national debate on wiretapping, privacy and the limits of presidential power. Critics charged that Mr. Bush had violated a 1978 law requiring that the government obtain a court order to listen in on Americans’ communications.

The Pentagon has drawn up plans to deploy 20,000 U.S. soldiers inside our borders by 2011, to help state and local officials respond to terrorist attacks or other catastrophes. here

McCain: Stop! I'm for Amnesty for Lawbreaking Telecoms
Neither the Administration nor the telecoms need apologize for actions...were Constitutional and appropriate. here
See Salon
Wired

A massive government database holding details of every phone call, e-mail and time spent on the internet by the public is being planned as part of the fight against crime and terrorism. here

FBI will create a modern identification system for catching criminals and terrorists
April 22 (Bloomberg) -- Lockheed Martin Corp., the world's largest defense company, said first-quarter earnings rose 5.8 percent as higher U.S. government computer sales and revenue from development of new NASA spacecraft helped overcome lower F-16 deliveries.
In February, Lockheed added to its role as the largest supplier of computer services and support to the U.S. federal government by winning an order valued at as much as $1 billion from the FBI. The 10-year contract will create a modern identification system for catching criminals and terrorists. here

George J. Terwilliger III
The administration now disavows program.
."Our office recently concluded that the Fourth Amendment had no application to domestic military operations," a 2003 footnote states, referring to a a secret Justice Department legal memo dated Oct. 23, 2001 to Alberto Gonzales titled "Authority for Use of Military Force to Combat Terrorist Activities Within the United States." Justice advised that Constitution's protection against unreasonable searches and seizures on U.S. soil did not apply to its efforts to protect against terrorism. The opinion, by John C. Woo, was disclosed in the footnote of a separate secret Justice memo, dated March 14, 2003, that discussed the legality of various interrogation techniques.
here

Attorney General resigns
The departure of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales could unlock the Bush administration's legal closet, bringing new details tumbling into the open about issues including the treatment of terrorism suspects, warrantless surveillance of Americans, and the administration's definition of official secrets.

here

Broad new surveillance powers
Broad new surveillance powers approved by Congress this month could allow the Bush administration to conduct spy operations that go well beyond wiretapping to include — without court approval — certain types of physical searches on American soil and the collection of Americans’ business records, Democratic Congressional officials and other experts said.

here