How Expansive is FBI Spying?

Guest Post by Ron Paul

Cato Institute Research Fellow Patrick Eddington recently filed several Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to find out if the Federal Bureau of Investigation ever conducted surveillance of several organizations dealing with government policy, including my Campaign for Liberty. Based on the FBI’s response, Campaign for Liberty and other organizations, including the Cato institute and the Reason Foundation, may have been subjected to FBI surveillance or other data collection.

I say “may have been” because the FBI gave Mr. Eddington a “Glomar response” to his FOIA requests pertaining to these organizations. A Glomar response is where an agency says it can “neither confirm nor deny” involvement in a particular activity. Glomar was a salvage ship the Central Intelligence Agency used to recover a sunken Soviet submarine in the 1970s. In response to a FOIA request by Rolling Stone magazine, the CIA claimed that just confirming or denying the Glomar’s involvement in the salvage operation would somehow damage national security. A federal court agreed with the agency, giving federal bureaucrats, and even local police departments, a new way to avoid giving direct answers.

The Glomar response means these organizations may have been, and may still be, subjected to federal surveillance. As Mr. Eddington told Reason magazine, “We know for a fact that Glomar invocations have been used to conceal actual, ongoing activities, and we also know that they’re not passing out Glomars like candy.”

Protecting the right of individuals to join together in groups to influence government policy is at the very heart of the First Amendment. Therefore, the FBI subjecting such groups to surveillance can violate the constitutional rights of everyone involved with the groups.

The FBI has a long history of targeting Americans whose political beliefs and activities threaten the FBI’s power or the power of influential politicians. The then-named Bureau of Investigation participated in the crackdown on people suspected of being communists in the post-World War I “Red Scare.” The anti-communist crackdown was headed by a young agent named J. Edgar Hoover who went on to become FBI director, a position he held until his death. Hoover kept and expanded his power by using the FBI to collect blackmail material on people including politicians.

In the 1930s and 1940s, the FBI spied on supporters of the America First movement, including several Congress members. Two of the most famous examples of FBI targeting individuals based on their political activities are the harassment of Martin Luther King Jr. and the COINTELPRO program. COINTELPRO was an organized effort to spy on and actively disrupt “subversive” organizations, including antiwar groups

COINTELPRO officially ended in the 1970s. However, the FBI still targets individuals and organizations it considers “subversive,” including antiwar groups and citizen militias.

Congress must hold hearings to determine if the FBI is currently using unconstitutional methods to “monitor” any organizations based on their beliefs. Congress must then take whatever steps necessary to ensure that no Americans are ever again targeted for surveillance because of their political beliefs and activities.

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CCRider
CCRider

They’ll spy on anyone they want to, for any reason, for as long as they want. Such is the situation in “our” government. And you expect congress to do anything about it? I love you Ron but get real.

Tampa Red

Some of these individuals and organizations tend to be worried about surveillance to the point of paranoia.
Over the years that I’ve run this blog,with all the thousands of inflammatory comments posted here every month,we’ve probably only averaged 20-25 “requests ” per month for personal info about posters.
The posters they seem most interested in are not you guys who seem interested in starting a revolution or taking back the country.They seem to be after the guys who say things like..”fuck the FBI…”or “…abolish the IRS …”.
Anti vaxxers are the absolute worst for drawing the FBI’s interest,I guess they’re just interested in protecting the public health.
I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be Lew Rockwell in the coming days.The article he has up today that confirms what many sceptics say about vaccines will bring out so many commenters he’ll be doing nothing but snitching on his people for the next week.No way in hell I’m reposting that here.
I can’t say much more guys,gotta get ready for the family cookout.Avalon has the chitlins cooking and I need to get the grill going.

Ghost

Your comment about chitlins reminded me that there is not a post about it being MLK Holy Holiday?

I mention this because I suspect the White Privilege/Supremacist label is being bandied about a bit much today .

Anonymous
Anonymous

20-25 requests per month, huh?
Do you comply, and give them what they request? Legally obligated?

A bitchy rant is usually just words.
Venting, on a public forum of like minded individuals. Harmless, 99.99% of the time.

Abrasive, aggressively confrontational commentary that got banned were ID’d via IP addresses per a previous comment, in the rare times when it happened.

So, 2nd question Admin.
Red flagged comments that concern the watchdogs, where they request further info, are Anons any more difficult to discover?

Hence, the first question, if you are obligated to comply.

TIA, and enjoy the party.

Anonymous
Anonymous

Concerned about the public health, or the profits of the drug companies that own the government?

Ghost

I submitted a FOIA request regarding tests I knew were conducted on the shielding on a surveillance plane (for aircrew) and got a call from a local OSI office wanting to know why I wanted to know.

A phone call.

I said I wanted to know when the study was done and why.

I got a letter stamped with the date it was submitted to DOD offices and an explanation that the tests were done at the request of the DOD.

So, I personally think FOIA requests for specific issues/certain hot button issues get flagged and notifications get sent.

I didn’t bother “researching” it any more. I got my answer. I didn’t like it, but I got it when I answered the phone.

It is not difficult to set up such a network once there are links between databases established.

robert h siddell jr
robert h siddell jr

My concern is more about the morality of who is running the FBI than who they monitor. Common sense says the FBI should monitor subversive organizations like the Communist, DNC, Muslims, Finance Industry, MSM, leftist colleges etc.

TampaRed

this is worse than the fbi –a guy has created a facial recognition tool that has over 3 billion images & is being pushed by many republicans–from the nyt–

Ben Lurken
Ben Lurken

The comment at 9:39 by admin has a Tampa Red moniker???
My sister was changing planes in Atlanta the other day and called to tell me she did not identify herself but they knew who she was. I’m not sure if this was at the gate or where but she assumes facial recognition. she was leaving the country so it might have been customs. And of couse when returning from a foreign country you go through a line to a machine where you put in passport while looking into camera. So of course they hace your face recorded even though you didn’t give permission.

Anonymouser
Anonymouser

Something weird with the comment…

TampaRed

i was being a smart ass & put admin’s name on it,he probably changed it back to tampared?

Anonymouser
Anonymouser

Something weird with ur moniker

Anonymouser
Anonymouser

Hahaha

overthecliff
overthecliff

They spy on whoever they want to, legal or not. That is just the way it is. The bad part is that they are not friends of America.

TN Patriot
TN Patriot

Is there anyone in this country who does not know we are being watched, listened to and spied upon 24/7? If only they would expend as much time watching those who are actually committing crime, the nation would be much better off.

Jdog
Jdog

Would someone kindly explain to me how a law enforcement agency can exist in the United States that is not directly accountable to the people? If we are truly free people who are in charge of our government, then the existence of the FBI and other so called law enforcement agencies must surly be in direct contrast to our freedom.
A agency who claims to have legal authority over the citizens but is in no way, shape or form answerable to the people for anything they do cannot be legitimate.
Where exactly does the FBI get its power from if it has not been given by the people? All governmental power comes from the people by way of the vote, and if an agency is created without the express consent of the people then it must by definition by illegitimate…. I believe it is time to abolish the FBI

MrLiberty
MrLiberty

Expecting the criminal Congress to do anything or care about anything is beyond naive. The FBI simply needs to be abolished, along with the entire Federal Government. Anything short of that will continue to enable the criminals that infest DC and beyond, to continue their rampant crime spree against freedom and liberty. Yeah, a pipe dream beyond all pipe dreams, but believing that half-way or even 1/10th way “solutions” will bring about any real improvement, is an even greater pipe dream. And I love Ron Paul and everything he has done for the freedom movement. He just puts way too much faith in political “solutions.” Even if every truth was exposed during Congressional investigations, the C-Span feed would magically go dark so they wouldn’t cover it, the mainstream media surely wouldn’t report on it, the Congressional record would suddenly vanish, and most certainly no actions would ever be taken that would prevent similar crimes in the future. Just look at the Church Commission and how much good their revelations did.

WestcoastDeplorable
WestcoastDeplorable

This is exactly why the deep state is desperate to get rid of Trump. They can’t have their “system” torn down, otherwise the swamp disappears.

What we need is a good ol’ fashion PURGE! Fire all the bureaucrats, make “K” street illegal, abolish “Citizen’s United”, and make all elected positions at the local/state/fed level subject to an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution. If you as a legislator sponsor or launch ANY bill that violates the Constitution you immediately lose your seat with the additional penalty of 5 years/no parole in a supermax. Oh, and you lose your right to run for ANY office for the remainder or your life.
Guess I’m dreaming.

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