Bush Grabs New Power for FBI

By Kim Zetter

Story location: http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,61792,00.html

02:00 AM Jan. 06, 2004 PT

While the nation was distracted last month by images of Saddam
Hussein's spider hole and dental exam, President George W. Bush
quietly signed into law a new bill that gives the FBI increased
surveillance powers and dramatically expands the reach of the USA
Patriot Act.

The Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004:

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:H.R.2417.ENR:

grants the FBI unprecedented power to obtain records from
financial institutions without requiring permission from a judge.

Under the law, the FBI does not need to seek a court order to
access such records, nor does it need to prove just cause.

Previously, under the Patriot Act, the FBI had to submit subpoena
requests to a federal judge. Intelligence agencies and the Treasury
Department, however, could obtain some financial data from banks,
credit unions and other financial institutions without a court order
or grand jury subpoena if they had the approval of a senior
government official..."

[see above URL for complete article]

proof: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/12/20031213-3.html