- ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters)
- Attorney General John Ashcroft on Monday defended the USA Patriot Act,
saying criticism of the sweeping federal anti-terrorist law was based on
exaggerations and falsehoods.
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- Ashcroft told a news conference it was understandable
that the public was concerned about possible invasion of privacy.
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- "But when the so-called invasion is one that's falsely
reported and nonexistent, and they don't hear about the fact that it's
falsely reported and nonexistent, it's not helpful," he said.
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- He said the act, passed after the attacks of Sept. 11,
2001, extended to anti-terrorism efforts the same law-enforcement tools
that were available to fight other forms of crime.
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- Provisions that allowed law-enforcement agents to monitor
a person's reading habits or purchases, for example, were similar to the
traditional subpoena powers used in murder or drug-trafficking investigations,
he said.
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- "We use these tools to secure the liberties of our
citizens. We use these tools to save innocent lives," Ashcroft said.
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- He was in Alaska to meet with the state's terrorism task
force, one of 93 nationwide.
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- According to the New York Times, a report by internal
investigators at the Justice Department has identified dozens of recent
cases in which department employees have been accused of serious civil
rights violations involving enforcement of the Patriot Act.
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- The Republican-controlled state legislature in Alaska
has approved a resolution condemning the act as an infringement of civil
liberties.
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