Bush Administration Pushes for "Patriot Act II"
President Bush announced a three-point plan to expand government's counterterrorism powers. In the plan, the administration is seeking broad new authority to allow federal agents to demand private records and compel testimony without the approval of a judge or even a federal prosecutor. Bush also wants to expand the use of the death penalty in crimes like terrorist financing, and he wants to make it tougher for defendants in such cases to be freed on bail before trial. These proposals would divest the Justice Department, already under mounting criticism for the originial Patriot Act, with a wealth of new power and discretion, causing concerns among privacy and civil liberties advocates, as well as many legislators.
Bush Seeks to Expand Access to Private Data
The New York Times, September 14, 2003
