Just between you, me, and the prison officials monitoring us …
The Justice Dept. has published a rule, without public comment, to allow prisons to monitor conversations between prisoners and their attorneys if the attorney general “certifies that reasonable suspicion exists to believe that an inmate may use communications with attorneys or their agents to facilitate acts of terrorism.” Needless to say, both the ACLU and constitutional lawyers are up in arms, rightly so.
This covers both those actually charged with a crime, and folks who are simply being “detained.” It includes phone conversations and mail, as well as live conversations.
The Feds promise that lawyers will know when they are being monitored and, we promise, nothing that is said will be revealed to prosecutors or anyone else. They won’t even keep a record of it. Unless a judge says they can. Promise. Honest injun. Trust us.
As InstaPundit puts it, “Hey — if you have a ‘reasonable suspicion’ that a terrorist’s lawyer is a co-conspirator, arrest the lawyer. Otherwise, don’t tap privileged calls.” Amen.
Since investigations are going so slowly, Mr. Ashcroft has also extended all emergency measures regarding detentions, the above-mentioned monitoring, and other items, from only 120 days to a full year, renewable for a year at a time thereafter.
Folks, this is getting a wee bit scary.
(Via USS Clueless, too)