IG Urges More 'Corrective Action' By DOJ re 'Troubling' FBI Pursuit of Phone Records
In a report released today (PDF) with some portions redacted, an inspector general for the U.S. Department of Justice calls for “additional corrective action” concerning a long-standing and “troubling” federal law enforcement program of obtaining telephone records without appropriate legal authorization.
Citing emergencies that often didn’t exist and sometimes using misleading language as well, the FBI, as the report details, demanded telephone toll information on hundreds of occasions between 2002 and 2006, recounts the Washington Post.
At a Capitol Hill hearing today, FBI Director Robert Mueller III said the bureau no longer used this approach after he and the inspector general recognized the issues. He also said that the content of the phone calls wasn’t monitored; the agency was seeking only data such as phone numbers and dates of calls. However, he promised that the FBI will review the inspector general report and consider whether disciplinary action is merited, the newspaper says.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “FBI Illegally Obtained 2,000-Plus Phone Records; Lawyer Raised Concerns”
