NSA, DEA, IRS and FBI are Lockstep in Illegal Surveillance

Earlier this year judge Gerard Lynch described the amount of data collected by the NSA’s spying program as “staggering.” He went on to say that “such expansive development of government repositories of formerly private records would be an unprecedented contraction of the privacy expectations of all Americans.”

The agency’s ability to collect the data was struck down and ruled illegal. However, the program resumed in June and will run through December. The review is investigating the agency’s data reports to the FBI from 2006-2011.

“Parallel construction” is what the government calls it. The rest of us call it “lying.” http://t.co/SvHlwsW5yW

— Radley Balko (@radleybalko) September 29, 2015

Another investigation is underway of the FBI’s use of the Patriot Act, Sect 215, from 2012-2014.

Information surfaced after the Justice Department’s Inspector General conducted an investigation into the NSA, as well as the DEA’s “parallel construction.”

Many may ask what the heck is “parallel construction?” In short, it’s an investigative technique. The DEA used this technique in which it takes information gathered or gained by the NSA’s huge surveillance program, but then lies about the sources while using them in criminal investigations inside the United States. This information was then passed to other agencies such as the IRS as revealed in 2013.

NSA-DEA surveillance team-up “isn’t being done to prevent another 9/11. It’s to prevent a fraudulent 1040.”- @taxgirl http://t.co/axnSn9xQLQ

— Kashmir Hill (@kashhill) August 9, 2013

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) described the technique as “intelligence laundering” designed to deceive, which is contrary to the original intent after the 9/11 surveillance laws.

The details of the mass gathering of data by the NSA was first made known through Edward Snowden. A few months later Reuters broke the story revealing the DEA’s connection.

NSA bulk data collection ruled illegal. #Snowden was right to reveal what is clearly an invasion of privacy. #HiNSA pic.twitter.com/indNTByxrb

— Dustin Rozanc (@drozanc) May 7, 2015

The investigation will examine how the FBI processed the NSA’s information, how much of that information was passed, and the results. It is also curious to the Justice Department how every application sent by the FBI to FISA was approved for the use of the Patriot Act Sect 215. This too is under a separate investigation.

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