Further Reach of the Patriot Act

Skip Oliva sent this to me today:

“I learned just last night that the Patriot Act renewal incorporated
previously-separate legislation that gives the DOJ’s Antitrust Division
wiretap power in all criminal antitrust investigations. Since the
Sherman Act itself contains no distinction between criminal and civil
offenses, this effectively authorizes wiretaps in all antitrust cases.
As best I can tell, the House Republican leadership tacked this on in
the House-Senate conference report in order to bypass any discussion or
debate in the House; the Senate had already passed the separate
legislation.”

No doubt, this was part of the “wish list” sent by DOJ, but I would be curious to know who wrote this portion into the bill. We have seen Democrats and Republicans team up in the past six years to further criminalize business activity.

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10:45 am on March 9, 2006