lol. Snooping powers my ass. Take a look at the cases mw talked about. This technique is nothing new and no judge has any motivation to stand up for the rights of accused terrorism suspects against the FBI. It's the same logic that leads to so few justified pardons for the death penalty, no one wants to be seen as soft on crime. And no one has any motivation at all to be seen as lenient towards accused terrorists. The FBI and those pro mass surveillance desperately need to justify their far-reaching methods in the face of public opposition, and, with that much political clout behind it, taking a stand downwind is political suicide. I mean, the Intercept is just quoting the fucking judge (who prosecuted someone in a similar case) about the questionable methods blatantly used, and this brings about doubting the credibility of the news organization?House Speaker John Boehner claimed yesterday that “the National Security Agency’s snooping powers helped stop a plot to attack the Capitol
(emphasis mine)The FBI learned about Cornell from an unnamed informant who, as the FBI put it, “began cooperating with the FBI in order to obtain favorable treatment with respect to his criminal exposure on an unrelated case.”