Justice Dept. Defends FBI on Patriot Act

[Judi Lynn]

Justice Dept. Defends FBI on Patriot Act
By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
(11-29) 13:38 PST WASHINGTON (AP) --

The Justice Department issued a broad defense Tuesday of an investigative tool used by the FBI to compel businesses to turn over customer information without a court order or grand jury subpoena.

Questions about the use of National Security Letters have become caught up in the debate over renewal of the anti-terror Patriot Act, which has been delayed by ideologically diverse lawmakers who want to ensure there are checks on investigative powers. More than a dozen provisions of the law, which was passed in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, expire at the end of the year.

NSLs, which can be used in terrorism and espionage investigations, require telephone companies, Internet service providers, banks, credit bureaus and other businesses to produce highly personal records about their customers or subscribers.

While most information about the letters is classified, including the number of times they have been used, Assistant Attorney General William E. Moschella sent the chairmen of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees a 10-page letter rebutting criticisms aired in an article three weeks ago in The Washington Post.
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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/11/29/national/w133805S10.DTL