DoJ investigating FBI and DEA on usage of NSA provided data

[MechAg94]

Something to remember, NSA is not a law enforcement agency. It is a military organization, under the DoD. It's important to remember that US citizenry are being directly monitored (even if you just buy the NSA argument that they're solely snagging metadata of US citizens) by the US military. Which is then selectively passed to law enforcement. And the US military was lying under oath to Congress about it (and admitted that too).

In reality, yes, 24 U.S. government agencies can access a lot of the NSA take using IC REACH. Those agencies tend to be the ones pointing local police at people. Sometimes they indeed launder their activities using the local police to investigate and build their cases, based originally on potentially tainted evidence, then backtracking their case with allegedly 'clean' cases, then lying under oath.

Agreed.  They shouldn't be doing it in the first place.  Just wondered if there was some "legal" path to using this data.

[MechAg94]

As far as the Govt investigating itself, what other choice is there?  That is partly how checks and balances are supposed to work. 

To see how it breaks down, you can look at some of the history of vigilantism in the US and why it started. 

[Ben]

As far as the Govt investigating itself, what other choice is there?  That is partly how checks and balances are supposed to work. 

To see how it breaks down, you can look at some of the history of vigilantism in the US and why it started. 

I think part of the problem is agencies investigating themselves. Some IG offices are good and full of bulldogs. Others are full of lapdogs.

[MechAg94]

Either way, it is up to the people we elect to make sure those checks and balances work.  Unfortuneately, that hasn't happened in recent years.

[Perd Hapley]

As far as the Govt investigating itself, what other choice is there?  That is partly how checks and balances are supposed to work. 

To see how it breaks down, you can look at some of the history of vigilantism in the US and why it started. 

Sure, but we all know how far we trust the DOJ.* I would at least like to see Congress look into it. Not that Congress has a great track record lately, but at least they are a different branch of government, rather than being the same department, under the same corrupt leadership.

*To be fair, they had the decency to admit there was no identifiable racism or wrong-doing in the Michael Brown or Trayvon Martin shootings.

[dogmush]

Sure, but we all know how far we trust the DOJ.* I would at least like to see Congress look into it. Not that Congress has a great track record lately, but at least they are a different branch of government, rather than being the same department, under the same corrupt leadership.

*To be fair, they had the decency to admit there was no identifiable racism or wrong-doing in the Michael Brown or Trayvon Martin shootings.

Honestly I'd rather have DOJ look into it.  As you pointed out they have investigated, seemingly fairly,a couple of high profile cases that the boss would LOVE to have found racism in.  They have the ability to actually bring criminal charges.

The last couple things that Congress has "investigated" (Bengahzi, this issue last time, TARP funds usage, G-bay, the whole Bergdahl thing, Fast and Furious) has led me to strengthen my belief that a congressional investigation is where an issue goes to be swept under the rug.

Not saying that the DOJ is a paragon of trustworthyness, but theymight do something. Congress won't.