Source: Non-Terror Suspects Prosecuted

According to Insight, the NSA program was unsuccessful in bringing any major terrorism suspects to justice. But the information obtained was, in some circumstances, used to prosecute individuals with non-terror related charges: But despite the huge amount of raw material gathered under the legislation, the FBI has not captured one major al Qaeda operative in the United States. Instead, federal authorities have been allowed to use non-terrorist material obtained through the surveillance program for investigation and prosecution. In more than one case, the sources said, a surveillance target was prosecuted on non-terrorist charges from information obtained through wiretaps conducted without a court order. They said the FBI supported this policy in an attempt to pressure surveillance targets to cooperate. The article flies in the face of Bush's contention the program was limited and successful against high-priority targets. The scenario where suspects are prosecuted or encouraged to plea based on illegally obtained information has its American antecedents in McCarthyism. Substitute "terrorist" for "communist" and the picture becomes clearer.