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January 21, 2010

Justice Dept. Report Details Illegal FBI Monitoring
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The Justice Department has released a report on the FBI’s illegal
collection of thousands of telephone records between 2002 and 2006. The
report says agents obtained information on more than 3,500 phone numbers
through emails, sticky notes and even the practice of computer “sneak
peeks.” On Wednesday, Senate Judiciary Chair Patrick Leahy criticized
the FBI.

Senate Judiciary Chair Patrick Leahy: “This was authorized at high
levels within the FBI and continued for years. I understand Director
(Robert) Mueller of the FBI has worked to correct these abuses, but this
report is a sobering reminder of the significant abuse of this proud
authority. No one is above the law, no senator and no member of the FBI,
and there has to be accountability for what happened here.”



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