- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President
Bush on Wednesday was to call for tougher anti-terrorism legislation to
deny bail to terror suspects, expand the death penalty and let investigators
bypass grand juries to issue subpoenas.
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- The initiative was a follow-up to hotly-debated "USA
Patriot Act" legislation passed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001
attacks, which critics called an infringement on civil liberties. It was
to be unveiled on the eve of the second anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
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- "Over the course of the last two years as we've
been taking significant steps to combat terrorism at home, we've come across
some areas where additional authority is needed," White House spokesman
Scott McClellan told reporters.
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- The proposals were quickly attacked by the American Civil
Liberties Union. "Further erosions of judicial oversight and the basic
checks and balances that protect us and our democracy from political abuses
of power ... are the wrong path to take," said Laura W. Murphy, Director
of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office.
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- Bush was to announce the initiative in a speech at an
FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, outside Washington, at 3:15 p.m.
EDT.
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- McClellan played down suggestions the measures comprised
a "Patriot II," package, supplementing the "USA Patriot
Act," saying Bush was endorsing proposals already under consideration
in Congress.
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- The original Patriot Act drew fire from civil liberties
groups and their supporters in Congress, both liberal and conservative,
who said it let the government abuse its ability to conduct surveillance
and keep secret some search warrants.
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- ANTI-TERROR MEASURES
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- The Justice Department had reportedly been preparing
a "Patriot II" package but met wide criticism earlier this year
when the consideration was made public. A Senate Democratic source said
Republicans have been seeking alternate ways to package new anti-terror
measures.
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- Bush will urge Congress to pass three major measures,
McClellan said. They are:
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- * Allowing law enforcement authorities to bypass a judge
or grand jury and issue "administrative subpoenas" in terrorism
investigations where "time is of the essence." Such authority
is available in other types of investigations such as drug probes, McClellan
said.
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- * Denying bail for terrorism suspects, to prevent them
from fleeing. Bush was to cite as an example of the need for such legislation
a case where a material witness in a terrorism case fled after being released
on bail, McClellan said.
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- * Imposing the federal death penalty for terror-related
crimes, such as sabotage of a military or nuclear facility "in a way
that takes innocent life."
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- "They are critical tools that our law enforcement
officials need to combat terrorism," he said.
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- A Senate Democratic aide said he was unfamiliar with
details of the legislation Bush is proposing, but said the action appears
to violate a pledge by U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft.
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- "The attorney general has repeatedly promised to
consult with Congress in drafting any sequel to the Patriot Act. To this
point, that has not happened," said David Carle, spokesman for Vermont
Sen. Patrick Leahy, ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
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- Ashcroft on Tuesday wrapped up a national tour aimed
at bolstering support for the original Patriot Act legislation among wary
law enforcement agencies and the public.
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