WASHINGTON (Reuters) – ճ uses drones for surveillance in some limited law enforcement situations, FBI Director said on Wednesday, sparking additional debate about President ‘s use of domestic surveillance.
The acknowledgement came in response to questions from U.S. senators who said they wanted to know more about the ‘s increasing use of unmanned aircraft.
“Does the FBI use drones for surveillance on U.S. soil?” Republican Senator Ǵ asked during a Senate Բ.
“Yes,” Mueller said, adding that the use was in “a very, very minimal way and very seldom.”
Mueller did not go into detail, but the FBI later released a statement that said unmanned aircraft were used only to watch stationary subjects and to avoid serious risks to law enforcement agents. ճ approves each use, the statement said.
The FBI used a drone during a hostage-taking in this year after a gunman, , snatched a boy off a school bus and held him in an underground bunker, according to the statement.
ճ has made no secret of its use of drones to monitor the border with .
ճ has been defending its surveillance tactics since former DzԳٰٴǰ released secret documents revealing a massive database of daily telephone records, as well as coordination between the NSA and social media companies.
The programs are designed to target militants outside the who are suspected of planning attacks, but they inevitably gather some data on Americans, U.S. officials said.
In a May speech, Obama defended the use of armed drones abroad but said the should never deploy armed drones over U.S. soil.
The Justice Department had disclosed that two domestic law enforcement agencies use unmanned aircraft systems, according to a department statement sent to the and released on Wednesday by Grassley’s office. The two are the and the .
Grassley sent a letter to Attorney General on Wednesday asking why the Justice Department did not earlier mention the FBI’s use of drones.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Democratic Senator Ǵ said she was concerned about the privacy implications of drone surveillance.
“The greatest threat to the privacy of Americans is the drone and the use of the drone, and the very few regulations that are on it today,” Feinstein said.
Mueller reiterated that drone use is rare. “It is very narrowly focused on particularized cases and particularized needs,” he said.
Mueller is due to retire when his term expires in September.
