An amendment giving federal authorities more investigative leeway in monitoring the activities of terrorists has been approved by a congressional committee.
The amendment, sponsored by Reps. Douglas Bereuter (R-Neb.) and Peter Deutsch (D-Fla.), would give the Federal Bureau of Investigation access to the credit reports of terrorists and terrorist organizations.
With such information, the FBI could more closely monitor the financial transactions of terrorist groups such as Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that opposes the peace accord between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
“The FBI should be able to investigate the transactions of individuals when they are known to be terrorists and there is reason to believe that serious crimes have been committed,” Deutsch said in a statement.
The proposal passed by voice vote last Thursday in the House Banking Committee. It amends a consumer reporting reform bill designed to curtail abuses by credit bureaus and providers of credit date.
The consumer reporting bill was also approved by the committee last Thursday and is expected to reach the floor of the House of Representatives in a few months.
The amendment requires that the FBI use the report only for its investigation of the terrorist or terrorist group. The credit bureau must disclose the FBI’s inquiry to the credit-holder.
An FBI spokesperson refused to comment on the legislation, but said the FBI follows certain guidelines when ascertaining who is a terrorist.
Such guidelines differ in foreign and domestic investigations, the spokesperson said.
Domestic investigation guidelines for identifying terrorists require that the individual or group violate a federal law under the FBI’s jurisdiction or conspire to violate such a law.
Guidelines on foreign investigations are classified.
Deutsch said the amendment simply allows the FBI to access credit reports through a judicial proceeding, the same way it obtains access to other information.
“If American Express can obtain your credit report to see if you’re a good candidate for a credit card, then the FBI should have access to the same information about terrorists for a counterintelligence investigation,” Deutsch said.
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