Bush signs parts of Patriot Act II into law Ñ stealthily
San Antonio Current.
“WITH A WHISPER, NOT A BANG”
By David Martin. December 24, 2003.
President George W. Bush signed into law the
Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004
on a Saturday, the day Saddam Hussein was captured.
Tucked away in this law are new executive powers that expand the so-called P.A.T.R.I.O.T Act.
By signing the bill on the day of Hussein’s capture, Bush effectively consigned a dramatic expansion of the USA Patriot Act to a mere footnote. Consequently, while most Americans watched as Hussein was probed for head lice, few were aware that the FBI had just obtained the power to probe their financial records, even if the feds don’t suspect their involvement in crime or terrorism.
See also House Members Criticize 2004 Intelligence Authorization Act.