U.S. directs agents to cover up program used to investigate Americans

[Good Guy Guevara]

(Reuters) - A secretive U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration unit is funneling information from intelligence intercepts, wiretaps, informants and a massive database of telephone records to authorities across the nation to help them launch criminal investigations of Americans.

Although these cases rarely involve national security issues, documents reviewed by Reuters show that law enforcement agents have been directed to conceal how such investigations truly begin - not only from defense lawyers but also sometimes from prosecutors and judges.

The undated documents show that federal agents are trained to "recreate" the investigative trail to effectively cover up where the information originated, a practice that some experts say violates a defendant's Constitutional right to a fair trial. If defendants don't know how an investigation began, they cannot know to ask to review potential sources of exculpatory evidence - information that could reveal entrapment, mistakes or biased witnesses.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/05/us-dea-sod-idUSBRE97409R20130805

 

[Melt_Man]

The police state has gotten completely out of control. Wouldn't be surprised if it is eventually revealed that the NSA is funneling illegally obtained info on Americans to the FBI/DEA who is then giving it to local law enforcement.

Heard Glenn Greenwald discussing this on today's episode of Democracy Now! Sounds like suspects are being identified using information that would not be admissible in court and then law enforcement works to establish probable cause so warrants can be obtained and the same evidence can be re-obtained to prosecute the individual.

Hope people aren't gullible enough to believe that all this domestic surveillance is being used solely for anti-terrorism

 

[The_King_of_Everything]

This is getting crazy and yet people still chilling like its all good smh