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FBI Admits to Wiretapping Wrong Numbers under PATRIOT Act

by Last Night in Little Rock

The intrepid folks at the FBI made a not so surprising admission: They have intercepted wrong numbers in PATRIOT Act wiretaps, so reports MSNBC tonight.

The FBI says it sometimes gets the wrong number when it intercepts conversations in terrorism investigations, an admission critics say underscores a need to revise wiretap provisions in the Patriot Act.

The FBI would not say how often these mistakes happen. And, though any incriminating evidence mistakenly collected is not legally admissible in a criminal case, there is no way of knowing whether it is used to begin an investigation.

Parts of the Patriot Act, including a section on “roving wiretaps,” expire in December. Such wiretaps allow the FBI to get permission from a secret federal court to listen in on any phone line or monitor any Internet account that a terrorism suspect may be using, whether or not others who are not suspects also regularly use it.

Will the Republican Congress actually allow this "roving wiretap" provision of the PATRIOT Act to sunset? Not a chance. No spine. Police screw ups are overlooked by the Republican judiciary. Suppression of evidence for constitutional error would be "judicial activism," and that makes Republican judges cringe.

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    Re: FBI Admits to Wiretapping Wrong Numbers under (none / 0) (#1)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:33 PM EST
    I bet the mistakes far outnumber the successes....have there been any successes? Oh, that must be top secret, any information about the pogrum would compromise National Security. Besides with the neocon enemy combatant category it doesn't matter if evidence is obtained by mistake; no evidence is needed for there never has to be a trial.

    Re: FBI Admits to Wiretapping Wrong Numbers under (none / 0) (#2)
    by scarshapedstar on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:33 PM EST
    I bet the mistakes far outnumber the successes....have there been any successes? Oh, that must be top secret, any information about the pogrum would compromise National Security.
    Now just say that about the entire Bush presidency and you have the Republican mindset in a really scary nutshell. They honestly believe that life is like a TV show and Bush is worn out from personally planning anti-terrorist raids all night and that's why he spends more time on vacation in five years than some Americans spend during their entire lives.