FBI's Use of 'National Security Letters' Questioned
Two Justice Dept. Reports
The FBI is under fire for the way it has used "national security" letters. Authorized by the USA Patriot Act, the documents are used to secretly obtain telephone, e-mail and financial records in national security cases. But the Justice Department's inspector general, Glenn Fine, says that the FBI improperly — and in some cases, illegally - -used the letters to obtain personal information.