FBI Improperly Spied on PETA

Talk about an abuse of power: The FBI has admitted to spying on anti-war, animal-rights, and peace groups between 2001 and 2006, claiming the organizations had ties to domestic terror cells. However, the inspector general of the Department of Justice said Monday there was “little or no basis” for the terror link, and the surveillance was “unreasonable and inconsistent with FBI policy.” As a result of the improper investigation, at least two innocent people were placed on the domestic terror watch list, and FBI Director Robert Mueller provided Congress with “inaccurate and misleading information,” the report said. PETA, Greenpeace, the Pittsburgh anti-war organization the Thomas Merton Center, the Catholic Worker, and an individual Quaker peace activist were all targeted. Some of the investigations lasted years.