Inspector: FBI Used Weak Facts, Inaccurate Info in Probes of Advocacy Groups
The FBI used weak facts to open investigations of individuals and advocacy groups, improperly retained some information about the subjects and wrongly characterized some nonviolent disobedience as acts of terrorism, the FBI's top watchdog said Monday.
In a report released by the Office of Inspector General that spanned investigations between 2001-2006, Inspector General Glenn Fine wrote that five liberal groups and individuals -- the Thomas Merton Center, Greenpeace, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the Catholic Worker and an individual described as a Quaker peace activist -- were not targeted because of the exercise of their First Amendment rights, but at least some were wrongly watch-listed as a result of ongoing and unjustified probes.
Being added to a federal watch-list means a person could be deterred from travel and tracked by law enforcement...
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