Administration Wants to Expand FBI Powers

Republican leaders are pushing a plan that would allow federal investigators to subpoena records from businesses and other institutions without a judge’s sign-off if they declared that the material was needed as part of a foreign intelligence investigation.  The New York Times reports that administration and Congressional officials who support the idea said the proposal would give the F.B.I. a much-needed tool to track leads in terrorism and espionage investigations that would be quicker and less cumbersome than existing methods. The Times reports that the proposal generated immediate protests from civil rights advocates, who said that it would give the F.B.I. virtually unchecked authority in terror investigations, and the plan is likely to intensify the growing debate in Congress over the balance between fighting terrorism and protecting privacy rights.