The FBI's attempt to massively expand its wiretap capabilities has been stonewalled, at least for now. Freshman Representative Bob Barr (R-Georgia) shepherded an effort that effectively choked off funding for the FBI's plan through fiscal 1996. Barr, a former US attorney, proposed an amendment to strike a provision in the reconciliation bill that would have funded the US$280 million eavesdropping scheme by placing a 40 percent surcharge on civil monetary penalties.
Although FBI Director Louis Freeh led the 104th Congress around by a nose ring, chanting the wiretap mantra of "thwart terrorism, crack organized crime, and imprison child pornographers," he'll have to do better in the 105th Congress, Barr says. That means the FBI will have to "fully justify" its need for the proposed tapping capabilities, explains a Barr staffer, adding that it's likely additional hearings on the matter will be called for next year.
Barr insists that his is not an "adversarial position" vis-a-vis the FBI. But wiretapping, government authority, and abuse of federal power are being scrutinized as they haven't been in a long time. "In that climate," says the staffer, "it's important that before expanded powers are granted to law enforcement, we make sure that everyone is comfortable with how current authority is being managed." -
Brock N. Meeks
ELECTRIC WORD
Representative Barr Thwarts Louis the Lurker
