Jon Kyl Wants Even More Secrecy on Heels of Patriot Act Debacle

On the heels of a scandal involving the FBI's alleged use of the Patriot Act, wouldn't you know it....Senator Jon Kyl (R) of Arizona this week planned to add an amendment to a bill in the U.S. Senate this week that would allow for even greater government secrecy than has already been imposed since the terrorist attacks in 2001.

The amendment would make it a crime to leak or publish any classified information contained in 28 reports that must be submitted to Congress through the Improving America’s Security Act of 2007, the USA Patriot Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 and the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.

So Senator Jon Kyl wants more secrecy?

Kyl, as many Gambling911.com readers already know, was responsible for tacking an internet gambling measure onto a crucial port security bill during the final hours before Congressional recess this past September.  The bill received overwhelming support - not because of some lame online gambling provision - but because port security had been the highest priority.  Many political constituents expressed outrage over Kyl's unrelated measure being attached to such a bill....not to mention the secret way in which he sneaked the measure in. 

Perfect timing for Mr. Kyl.

On Friday, news came out that the FBI improperly and, in some cases, illegally used the USA Patriot Act to secretly obtain personal information about people in the United States, a Justice Department audit concluded Friday.

And for three years the FBI underreported to Congress how often it forced businesses to turn over the customer data, the audit found.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who oversees the FBI, described the problems cited in the report as unacceptable and left open the possibility of criminal charges. He ordered further investigation.

"Once we get that information, we'll be in a better position to assess what kinds of steps should be taken," Gonzales told reporters following a speech to privacy officials.

"There is no excuse for the mistakes that have been made, and we are going to make things right as quickly as possible," the attorney general said.

FBI Director Robert Mueller said he was to blame for not putting more safeguards into place.

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Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com

Originally Published March 9, 2007 10:43 pm ET