WASHINGTON, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- The Senate Judiciary Committee Monday called on U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey to delay implementing new FBI investigation conduct guidelines.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Ranking Member Arlen Specter, R-Pa., sent a letter Monday to Mukasey asking for a postponement of the finalization of new conduct guidelines for FBI investigators. Leahy and Specter called for the delay until after FBI Director Robert Muller testifies before the Judiciary Committee on Sept. 17, according to a release from the committee.
Leahy said the delay also would provide additional time to lawmakers to verify that the new conduct guidelines conform to concerns about abuses of civil liberties. The Judiciary Committee was alerted that Mukasey was ready to sign his approval of the new guidelines, which would then put the rules into effect by Oct. 1.
Officials say the proposed changes to the FBI investigation conduct guidelines are part of an effort to establish clear rules for investigators to follow. Recent scrutiny over conduct during investigations has led to concerns about violations of civil liberties.
"Efforts to harmonize the rules governing criminal and national security matters also raise potential civil liberties concerns, given the broader latitude currently given to investigators to consider race and ethnicity in national security matters," Leahy and Specter wrote in the letter.
"The important aims of the guidelines, and their potential implications for civil liberties, require a meaningful dialogue between Congress and the Department of Justice."
