Leahy, Specter request stalls new FBI guidelines

The Justice Department is postponing the authorization of new guidelines for the FBI’s national security investigations, according to a letter released Thursday by Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.).

On Monday this week, Judiciary Committee Chairman Leahy and ranking Republican Specter requested that the Department of Justice (DoJ) hold off on issuing the guidelines until lawmakers had had enough time to review the new measures. Civil liberties advocates have voiced concerns that the FBI guidelines could grant the federal government broad new investigative powers on American soil with little chance for oversight.

{mosads}The letter, dated Wednesday this week and signed by Keith Nelson, principal deputy assistant attorney general, said the department “would welcome the opportunity to explain in detail to the American people and members of this committee the importance of our efforts to revise and harmonize the attorney general guidelines.”

The new guidelines should help improve the FBI’s intelligence capabilities, according to the DoJ letter. The Bureau has moved more and more into intelligence collection, rather than just law enforcement, since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Attorney General Michael Mukasey will not sign off on the new guidelines until after FBI Director Robert Mueller testifies before Congress on the issue, according to the letter. Mueller’s next scheduled testimony is Sept. 17.

The letter also stated, however, that Mukasey intends to sign off on the new guidelines by Oct. 1 to meet its target date for implementation.