Clarification Re National Security Letters
Regarding the Perkins Coie RA of the FBI, which apparently has to do with facilitating recipients of National Security Letters (NSLs) who wish to explore their legal options, quite a few commenters have asked whether PC-RA is the only law firm with a SCIF arrangement like this. These comments may have been inspired by this tweet by Margot Cleveland, which I had seen when I wrote about this today but decided not to include:
It may help to understand that NSLs are issued by FBIHQ—technically, by the Director personally. A field agent can request an NSL, but the request is handled at FBIHQ. This system, which is legally binding, was set up to establish a clear path for accountability and to guard against abuse. No, I’m not kidding. Therefore, a recipient of a NSL who wishes to oppose the NSL will ultimately have to deal with FBIHQ, and that means going to DC—or using a law firm in DC. The reason for this is that, since NSLs by their very nature deal with classified matters, they can’t ordinarily be discussed using non-secured means of communication.
I can’t think of any reason why the recipient of an NSL should need to use the services of PC (the law firm) in order to access the facilities at the PC-RA. A lawyer for any DC firm should be able to do this, coordinating with PC. Google, or Twitter, or ATT, or Verizon or whoever should be able to use their own lawyers and there would be no reason. Big outfits like that will have large legal departments and will have offices in DC. However, by the nature of things, it does seem natural that NSL business from carriers outside DC could end up being steered toward Perkins Coie simply because of the physical setup. I’m just speculating on this.
The whole damn arrangement seems suspect and less than honest to me. But then again, who as m I to complain? I’m just one of those deplorable citizens who actually believed at one time that we the people controlled our government, instead of our government controlling us. Now I know better. I may not be woke. But I sure as hell have been awakened.
When it comes to this crowd, I don’t believe anything they say or write and I don’t trust that they would not abuse their position or authority. Therefore, I’m not readily willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
This whole setup doesn’t pass the smell test for me and my nose.
I guess I’d have to say I’m what Spiro Agnew would call a “niggiling malcontent.