The Government Is Spying on America with Drones, Too

[DevonRex]

44. Sigh. The FBI investigates acts of terrorism inside the U.S. Like the Boston bombing.

But sometimes there is overlap. Like in the Boston bombing, where the Russians had warned that Tamerlan had become radicalized, had contact with rebels in Dagestan. The FBI couldn't get a FISA warrant on him though because he was a Green Card Holder and they did not have proof that he was 1) a member of a foreign terrorist organization and 2) planning to carry out a violent terrorist attack. The rebels he met with in Dagestan were his cousins on his mother's side. And Russia refused to provide further proof of their claims. Tamerlan had posted a radical cleric's sermons on You Tube but that's free speech.

Now, after the bombing was carried out, obviously he was a terrorist and so was his brother who survived. Then the possibility of being involved with a foreign terrorist group was much more likely, given the Russian warning, his contact with his cousins, and the death of his Canadian friend in Dagestan at Russian hands. Following so far?

This is pertinent for 2 reasons. One, if a foreign group is involved we have to know. They may not stop at one bombing. Two, there may be others in the U.S. besides the Tamerlan and Dzhokhar. Those are the reasons we have to know.

But it also allows two things. One, it allows a CIA interrogator to join the FBI team who questioned Dzhokhar but solely for questions limited to a possible foreign connection, since that is CIA's jurisdiction. The FBI, of course, was investigating the bombing itself and possible conspirators. Two it allowed, finally, a FISA warrant on the brothers' phone records. In this way the FBI could see if there was a network within the U.S. and the CIA could see if the brothers were connected to a terrorist organization who might have actually directed the bombing.

I cannot think of a better case that explains just HOW safe American citizens are from government intrusion than this one. Warrants couldn't be gotten even with warnings because the evidence didn't meet the high standards set by law until a terrorist act had already been committed.