Fantastic

The FBI, which has been proven by the Justice Department's own Inspector General to have illegally misused its "national security letter" powers to unlawfully spy on U.S. citizens on thousands of occasions, has now been rewarded for not being able to follow the simple directions they were given with even looser regulations for when they can begin "investigating" someone:

"A Justice Department plan would loosen restrictions on the Federal Bureau of Investigation to allow agents to open a national security or criminal investigation against someone without any clear basis for suspicion"

So let me get this straight. After being chastised and embarrassed for investigating citizens without a legal reason to do so, the FBI is now going to be allowed to do just that? Are you kidding me?

"The FBI's behavior was wrong, so we've changed the rules, and now what they are going to be doing is not wrong."

Somewhere, George Orwell is weeping. His frightening vision is rapidly coming true.