by TChris

Despite its assurances that it hasn't misused the power granted by the Patriot Act, the Justice Department doesn't want the public -- or, so far, the Senate -- to know what it's been doing with that power.

Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, who leads the Judiciary Committee, said he and others in the Senate sought details from senior intelligence officials at the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation about their demands for records and their use of roving wiretaps, secret search warrants and other provisions in the law.

Specter was frustrated that the Justice Department didn't produce those details at a closed-door briefing yesterday.

"This closed-door briefing was for specifics," Mr. Specter said after emerging from the session on Tuesday. "They didn't have specifics."

Deputy Attorney General James Comey claims he takes Senator Specter's concerns "very seriously" and says the public will support renewal of all Patriot Act provisions once it understands how the department is using the law. Funny, then, that it hasn't complied with requests to show the Senate how indeed it is "using the law."