Over the fifteen years since 9/11, the FBI has shed the 1970s Church Committee restrictions and expanded its informant network, its HUMINT resources, and basically been told it can collect whatever information it wants, regardless of whether it's connected to a present investigation.
But what can possibly go wrong? It's not like the leadership of the FBI, or factions within it, will ever possibly use that information to dabble in politics or for purposes the public wouldn't approve of, right? I mean, when has that ever happened?
Amid Clinton Controversy, FBI Documents Show Why Americans Should Worry About Intelligence Gathering
Critics are right to be concerned about the FBI’s expanded power, especially when it comes to recruiting and deploying informants.
