Only the best comedians have better timing than Ashcroft
But what Ashcroft is pulling ain't no joke.
Patriot Act Provision Invoked, Memo Says
FBI Request Came Weeks After Ashcroft Denied Using Controversial Part of Law
By Amy Goldstein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, June 18, 2004; Page A11
The FBI asked the Justice Department last fall to seek permission from a secret federal court to use the most controversial provision of the USA Patriot Act, four weeks after Attorney General John D. Ashcroft said that part of the law had never been used, according to government documents disclosed this week.
A one-paragraph memo -- saying the FBI wanted to use the part of the law that allows investigators in terrorism and espionage cases easier access to people's business and library records -- was in a stack of documents the government has released under court order, as debate persists over whether use of the anti-terrorism law violates civil liberties.
