In the wake of September 11, which groups did the FBI spy on in order to keep American citizens safe from terrorist attacks? According to a new report from the Department of Justice, between 2001 and 2006, the FBI improperly investigated Greenpeace, PETA, and the pacifist Thomas Merton Center, then lied about it to Congress. The FBI misclassified crimes like trespassing and vandalism under “domestic terrorism cases.” The report, which Congress requested four years ago, also found that FBI director Robert S. Mueller III misled Congress about investigations like surveillance of an anti-war rally. The DOJ concluded that the FBI might be guilty of local crimes but not federal ones, and didn’t see this domestic spying as a bureau-wide policy. PETA spokesperson Pamela Anderson wasn’t named in the report, but we imagine there was probably some undercover surveillance footage involved, you know, just so Americans could sleep at night.
FBI overstepped in probing terror links after 9/11: review [Yahoo]
FBI Under Fire for Investigating Liberal Groups [Atlantic]
