The Pentagon investigating domestic crimes?

From what I can tell, under the provisions of these changes, the Pentagon now has the ability to collect information on US citizens without any significant judicial oversight. I'll do more on this as more details come out.

WaPo page A06

The Defense Department has expanded its programs aimed at gathering and analyzing intelligence within the United States, creating new agencies, adding personnel and seeking additional legal authority for domestic security activities in the post-9/11 world.

The moves have taken place on several fronts. The White House is considering expanding the power of a little-known Pentagon agency called the Counterintelligence Field Activity, or CIFA, which was created three years ago. The proposal, made by a presidential commission, would transform CIFA from an office that coordinates Pentagon security efforts -- including protecting military facilities from attack -- to one that also has authority to investigate crimes within the United States such as treason, foreign or terrorist sabotage or even economic espionage.

And doesn't this next bit sound like the old TIA that was defunded by Congress after a public outcry?

One CIFA activity, threat assessments, involves using "leading edge information technologies and data harvesting," according to a February 2004 Pentagon budget document. This involves "exploiting commercial data" with the help of outside contractors including White Oak Technologies Inc. of Silver Spring, and MZM Inc., a Washington-based research organization, according to the Pentagon document.

And for those keeping score, MZM got in trouble in the whole Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R - Ca) bribery thing.

Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.), a member of the House defense appropriations subcommittee, acknowledged last week that his relationship with MZM founder Mitchell J. Wade is being examined by federal authorities.

And while we're listing them, there's this. (She later returned the money.)

A defense contractor under federal investigation gave Rep. Katherine Harris, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, about $42,000 during the 2003-04 election cycle.

No real connection to the above, just found these questionable contributions by MZM interesting. Oh, and this computer company with no previous experience in the field, got $5 million for translators in Iraq. Josh Marshall has been the Duke Cunningham, and thus, MZM expert.