FBI agents would be allowed to open investigations "without any basis for suspicion" under a new Justice Department proposal, according to The New York Times.
The exact language of these new guidelines have yet to be released to the public, but the paper says some lawmakers are expressing concern that the proposal gives too much power to federal investigators.
"The Democratic senators said the draft plan appeared to allow the FBI to go even further in collecting information on Americans connected to 'foreign intelligence' without any factual predicate," the paper says. "They also said there appeared to be few constraints on how the information would be shared with other agencies."
Last week, Attorney General Michael Mukasey said the proposed changes were designed to "harmonize the standards" for Bureau investigators.
"They will not alter the previous department rules that forbid predicating an investigation simply based on somebody's race, religion, or exercise of First Amendment rights," he said. "The guidelines will require all activities to have a valid purpose, and will require the FBI to carry them out in conformity with the Constitution and all applicable statutes, executive orders, and Department of Justice regulations and policies."
[usa today]
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