WASHINGTON – The Justice Department on Tuesday gave Congress nearly three dozen examples of how the Patriot Act has been used to prosecute terrorists and other criminals, part of an administration effort to counter criticism that the law does more to harm civil liberties than to protect the nation.
Attorney General John Ashcroft presented a 29-page report outlining the examples to members of the House Judiciary Committee, telling reporters after the private briefing that the report provided “a mountain of evidence” of the law’s benefits.
“The Patriot Act is al-Qaida’s worst nightmare when it comes to disrupting and disabling their operations here in America,” he said.
The Bush administration has been trying to squelch criticism that the law, enacted a few weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, gave the FBI and other law enforcement agencies too much power to spy on people and dig into private lives.
Key sections of the law expire in 2005. President Bush has urged Congress to renew those sections.
The report did not mention some more controversial powers, such as the FBI’s ability to obtain library and bookstore records in terrorism cases or the so-called “sneak and peek” search warrants in which agents need not immediately tell suspects their home or business had been searched.
Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, accused the department of selectively releasing information and refusing to address civil liberties concerns.
Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., said the report shows “some real-life, local benefits” to the Patriot Act, something supporters can point to in future legislative debates about the measure.
The report says between the Sept. 11 attacks and May 5, Justice Department terrorism investigations led to charges against 310 people, of whom 179 were convicted or pleaded guilty. The Patriot Act, it says, was instrumental in many of these cases.
The report provides 35 examples of how the law was used to prosecute alleged terror cells in New York, Oregon, Virginia and elsewhere; how it updated law enforcement tools to track such technology as cellphones and Internet communications; and how many of its provisions are used for other criminal probes including child pornography, computer hacking, kidnapping and illegal weapons sales.
Associated Press
Attorney General John Ashcroft holds a report on the Patriot Act on Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
