New Minority Committee Report Details Rogue Police Force Investigating A Child, Costing Millions

[TheBlackAdder]

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An internal security force at the Commerce Department went rogue for years, investigating an elementary school child, wasting millions as sidelined employees whiled the days away watching Netflix and derailing careers with frivolous investigations, according to a new report produced by Ranking Member Roger Wicker’s (R-MS) minority staff at the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

The force, the Commerce Department Investigations and Threat Management Service (ITMS), was alleged to have engaged in numerous questionable practices by a fact sheet Wicker’s team put out in late May.

Democrats on the committee were not involved in the investigation.

“The report was based on information received from whistleblowers who contacted Sen. Wicker’s office,” a committee aide for the Democratic majority told TPM. “We were supportive of their efforts to conduct oversight and their decision to keep those whistleblower interactions confidential. Since being notified of this issue we have been in close contact with the Department of Commerce and the Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General, and we appreciate their decision to stand down this group’s activities pending an investigation.”
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In one instance, the report details ITMS agents opening an investigation into an elementary school child who wrote the department with a petition about adding a certain type of whale to a list of protected marine wildlife.

“To any reasonable observer, the letter posed no threat to the Department,” the report said. “The ITMS, nonetheless, not only opened a case but conducted a search of the author’s name—a minor—in government databases like the FBI’s National Crime Information Center and the Department of Homeland Security’s Targeted Violence Information Sharing System.”


Much more at the jump:
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/commerce-committee-report-wicker-police-itms

WTF?

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[Effete Snob]

1. Well, you know, one day it's about protecting a whale...

…and then, bam, kid shows up in a bomb vest and takes out half the city.

[chowder66]

2. Luckily...Incoming Commerce leaders from the Biden administration

ordered ITMS to pause all criminal investigations on March 10, and on May 13 ordered the suspension of all activities after preliminary results of an ongoing review, according to a statement issued by department spokeswoman Brittany Caplin.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2021/05/24/commerce-department-monitoring-itms/