FBI wiretap cut off for unpaid bill
Government
incompetence!
FBI tap experts
A telephone company cut off an FBI international wiretap after the agency failed to pay its bill on time, according to a U.S. government audit.
The Justice Department’s inspector general faulted the FBI for poor handling of money used in undercover investigations, which it said made the agency vulnerable to theft and mishandled invoices.
It cited the case in which a wiretap under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which governs electronic spying in terrorism and intelligence cases, was disrupted due to an overdue bill.
“Late payments have resulted in telecommunications carriers actually disconnecting phone lines established to deliver surveillance results to the FBI, resulting in lost evidence, including an instance where delivery of intercept information required by a … FISA order was halted due to untimely payment,” the audit said.
Some governments have been called the “blind leading the blind”. We’re working our way through the final months of the ignorant leading the incompetent.
Posted: Fri - January 11, 2008 at 06:22 AM