By: David Bibo
Speaking tonight at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum, FBI Director Robert Mueller defended the Patriot Act and the bureau’s increased domestic intelligence mission adopted in the wake of September 11, 2001. Mueller also admitted that the FBI “fell short” on oversight of the controversial National Security Letters program.
Mueller argued to the packed house of mostly Harvard students that terrorism remains “the greatest threat to [the American] way of life,” adding that Americans “have a right to privacy, and have a right to ride the [subway] without bombs exploding.” Mueller was faced with tough questions from students and faculty but he remained relentlessly on message. When pressed about the NSA’s warrantless wiretapping program revealed by the New York Times in December 2005, Mueller said only: “when the FBI wiretaps someone, it’s pursuant to a warrant.”
Mueller also defended the controversial USA Patriot Act, saying it “strikes an appropriate balance” between freedom and security. Mueller suggested that Congress must work with the administration to update the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act - FISA - to ensure it is in step with the “advent of new technologies.”
Mueller, who has served in three presidential administrations, has been FBI Director since September 4, 2001.
Tags: Civil Liberties, FBI, Harvard, Mueller, Patriot Act
Related Posts:
Post a Comment