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FBI Drops Law Enforcement as ‘Primary’ Mission

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Photo Credit; Foreign Policy

Photo Credit; Foreign Policy

The FBI’s creeping advance into the world of counterterrorism is nothing new. But quietly and without notice, the agency has finally decided to make it official in one of its organizational fact sheets. Instead of declaring “law enforcement” as its “primary function,” as it has for years, the FBI fact sheet now lists “national security” as its chief mission. The changes largely reflect the FBI reforms put in place after September 11, 2001, which some have criticized for de-prioritizing law enforcement activities. Regardless, with the 9/11 attacks more than a decade in the past, the timing of the edits is baffling some FBI-watchers.

“What happened in the last year that changed?” asked Kel McClanahan, a Washington-based national security lawyer.

McClanahan noticed the change last month while reviewing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from the agency. The FBI fact sheet accompanies every FOIA response and highlights a variety of facts about the agency. After noticing the change, McClanahan reviewed his records and saw that the revised fact sheets began going out this summer. “I think they’re trying to rebrand,” he said. “So many good things happen to your agency when you tie it to national security.”

Although a spokesman with the agency declined to weigh in on the timing of the change, he said the agency is just keeping up with the times. “When our mission changed after 9/11, our fact sheet changed to reflect that,” FBI spokesman Paul Bresson told Foreign Policy. He noted that the FBI’s website has long-emphasized the agency’s national security focus. “We rank our top 10 priorities and CT [counterterrorism] is first, counterintel is second, cyber is third,” he said. “So it is certainly accurate to say our primary function is national security.” On numerous occasions, former FBI Director Robert Mueller also emphasized the FBI’s national security focus in speeches and statements.

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Ex-Official Claims FBI Can Secretly Activate Webcams Without the Indicator Light Turning On

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Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

The FBI can secretly activate a computer’s webcam to spy on an individual without turning on the indicator light, a former official revealed to the Washington Post in an article published Friday.

According to the Washington Post’s account of what Marcus Thomas — former assistant director of the FBI’s Operational Technology Division in Quantico — said, “The FBI has been able to covertly activate a computer’s camera — without triggering the light that lets users know it is recording — for several years, and has used that technique mainly in terrorism cases or the most serious criminal investigations.”

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FBI Lists Southern Poverty Law Center As ‘Resource’ for Hate Crimes (+video)

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Photo Credit: Web screenshotThe Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says listing the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as a resource on its “Hate Crimes” website page and linking to the organization is “not an endorsement” of the group or its research materials on hate crimes.

“The Resource link to SPLC is for informational purposes and not an endorsement of the organization or the information on their website,” an FBI spokesman told CNSNews.com.

On the FBI’s “Hate Crimes” page, it gives a general description of hate crimes and then includes a section headlined “In Depth,” which includes a prominent sub-head, “Resources.” Listed there under the Resources with a hyperlink is “Southern Poverty Law Center.”

CNSNews.com asked about the link to the SPLC because the man convicted of domestic terrorism this year for the shooting attack at the Family Research Council (FRC) told FBI investigators that he targeted the FRC after finding their name on the SPLC’s own “Hate Map,” where the pro-family and Christian organization is labeled as “anti-gay.”

“I find it incredible that a federal agency charged with protecting the American people allows itself to be connected to a group that was certified in court as the source that inspired an act of terrorism,” Lt. Gen Jerry Boykin, executive vice president of FRC, told CNSNews.com.

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Subcontractor Working on Obamacare Site Under FBI Investigation

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Photo Credit: REUTERS/Mike SegarOne of the subcontractors working on the Obamacare website is currently under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Client Network Services Incorporated (CNSI) became a sub-contractor on the Obamacare website in 2012, working hand in hand with QSSI, according to its website. QSSI was one of several contractors hauled before Congress to address the sites troubled rollout in October.

According to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) “war room” notes released in October, CNSI was responsible for assisting with electronic data interchange (EDI) — defined as a system to transfer data between computer systems without human interaction.

Among the plethora of problems with the website rollout, insurance companies have complained that data received on their computers has often been inaccurate, suggesting a problem with the EDI.

CNSI is currently under investigation by the FBI, which has alleged that then-Louisiana Health and Hospitals Secretary Bruce Greenstein, a former CNSI employee, exerted undue influence in steering the Medicaid contract to Louisiana.

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Justice and State Departments Blocking Access to Survivors/Transcripts of Benghazi Attack

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Photo Credit: Fox News The Justice and State departments are now citing a year-old FBI investigation and a future criminal prosecution to block access to survivors of last year’s Benghazi terror attack.

In an Oct. 28 letter to Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.,the State Department’s Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs, Julia Frifield, refers to “significant risks” and “serious concerns about having the survivors of the attack submit to additional interviews.”

Graham has been asking since last year for the FBI’s transcripts of interviews with State Department and CIA survivors who were evacuated to Germany after the Sep.11 attack on the U.S. consulate.

He and other Republicans believe the transcripts will show the survivors told the FBI it was a terrorist attack and made no mention of a video or anti-U.S. demonstration at the consulate.

This intelligence was likely available to the president, his national security team and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, who five days after the assault blamed it on an anti-U.S. demonstration and inflammatory video.

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FBI to Lavabit Founder: ‘Do You Really Think Users Trust You Over Us?’

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Photo Credit: Daily Caller The FBI fined, threatened, and forced Ladar Levison to suspend the operation of his secure email service, Lavabit LLC, telling the entrepreneur that his users were more likely to trust the government than him.

This year, the government demanded that Levison turn over his private SSL (secure socket layer) so that the FBI could investigate a single user account allegedly belonging to NSA leaker Edward Snowden.

“By taking these keys from me they were able to unlock everything coming in and out…gaining access to email content, passwords, and credit card numbers,” Levison told The Daily Caller in an interview. The keys allowed the FBI to “masquerade” as Levison himself, giving the agency administrative access to his system.

“They were completely unwilling to provide any kind of transparency back to me to assure me that the only information they were collecting was the information on this one specific user,” said Levison. “Users trusted me to protect their private information and I was essentially opening up the doors wide for the feds to come in and take whatever they wanted.”

Levison said he was willing to provide the FBI limited access to what they wanted, but the bureau told him that was not sufficient, insisting on full access.

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FBI’s Rogue L.A. Field Office has Muslim Mole

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Photo Credit: WND

Photo Credit: WND

The FBI field office that defied clear and direct orders from Washington headquarters to “cease contact” with a terrorist front group at the same time allowed a Muslim agent investigated for compromising a major terrorism case to remain on the squad, WND has learned.

After the FBI banned the Council on American-Islamic Relations from its counterterror outreach programs in response to evidence the group fronts for the Muslim Brotherhood and its Palestinian terrorist branch Hamas, the FBI’s Los Angeles field office liaisoned with CAIR in violation of official policy, according to a just-released report by the Justice Department’s inspector general.

Several directives sent from FBI headquarters required all of the bureau’s field offices to “cease contact with CAIR as an organization,” yet the L.A. office refused to comply with the command and even sent out an internal email advising personnel to ignore it.

GOP Rep. Frank Wolf, whose House judiciary subcommittee oversees the FBI’s budget, wants officials there fired.

“This is insubordinate behavior,” Wolf wrote the FBI director. “The findings in this report suggest the FBI may have a systemic problem.”

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Chilling Video of Killer Aaron Alexis inside Navy Yard Released by FBI

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Photo Credit: FBI

Photo Credit: FBI

On Sept. 25, nine days after shooter Aaron Alexis killed 12 people and wounded four more inside the Washington Navy Yard, the FBI released unbelievable video surveillance footage of Alexis inside the Navy Yard stalking his victims.

According to the FBI, “Alexis had legitimate access to the Navy Yard as a result of his work as a contractor and he utilized a valid pass to gain entry to Building #197.”

Shortly after his arrival in the building and over the course of approximately one hour, Alexis used the Remington 870 shotgun and a Beretta handgun he obtained during the course of his shooting to kill 12 victims and wound four surviving victims before he was shot and killed by law enforcement officers. Investigation to date has determined that Alexis acted alone.

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Former FBI Agent to Plead Guilty in AP Leak Case and Child Porn Charges

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

The former FBI agent who pleaded guilty to child pornography charges earlier this year will also plead guilty to leaking classified information about an Al Qaeda bomb plot to The Associated Press – in a case of spilled secrets that the Justice Department called one of the most serious in U.S. history.

Donald John Sachtleben of Carmel, Ind., a former FBI technician and government contractor, has signed plea agreements in both cases, the U.S. attorney’s office said Monday.

“I am deeply sorry for my actions,” Sachtleben said in a written statement. “While I never intended harm to the United States or to any individuals, I do not make excuses for myself. I understand and accept that today’s filings start the process of paying the full consequences of my misconduct, and I know that the justice system I once served so proudly will have its say.”

Charges in the child pornography case against Sachtleben were filed in May 2012 after law enforcement officials said they found child porn they were able to trace to his home computer. That complaint alleges that an examination of Sachtleben’s laptop revealed the presence of about 30 images of child porn that he is accused of trading with other people using the email address [email protected].

Nine days before those charges were filed, prosecutors say Sachtleben gave up national defense information to a news reporter related to a disrupted terrorist plot.

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Feds: FBI Tailed Top Terror Recruiter Al to Pentagon

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Picture al-AwlakiThe federal government has released documents that show Anwar al-Awlaki, the former Denver resident and onetime al-Qaida leader who was killed in 2011 in a U.S. missile strike in Yemen ordered by President Obama, was followed by the FBI to the doors of the Pentagon, where he was an invited guest.

WND reported earlier this year that Judicial Watch, the government watchdog agency that investigates and reports on government corruption, found FBI authorities knew Awlaki was linked to several 9/11 hijackers weeks before he was invited to lunch at the Pentagon in an “outreach” to Muslims.

At the time, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said the more “we learn about Anwar al-Awlaki, the more questions arise not only about his activities before and after 9/11, but also about the al-Qaida operational and support network still active in the United States.”

“It is now even more concerning that Awlaki was invited to the Pentagon after 9/11 and then let go by the FBI despite warrants for his arrest,” Fitton said.

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