Bush pledges swift action in FBI records scandal

ANCHORENA PARK, Uruguay, Mar 10 (Reuters) US President George W Bush today pledged to quickly address findings the FBI illegally or improperly obtained private records during terrorism and espionage investigations.

Bush, visiting Uruguay on a Latin America tour, also insisted he had confidence in FBI Director Robert Mueller and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, despite a Justice Department report of FBI misconduct that has sparked a congressional outcry.

The report by Inspector General Glenn Fine's office sharply criticized the FBI for demanding, without a court order, customer records from telephone companies, Internet service providers, banks and credit card firms.

''We'll address the problems in the report as quickly as possible,'' Bush promised, saying Mueller had already begun such efforts.

Bush said Mueller and Gonzales had briefed him on the report.

''My question is what are you going to do to solve the problem and how fast can you get it solved,'' he said at a news conference with Uruguyan President Tabare Vazquez.

National security letters allow the FBI to compel the release of private information without getting authority from a judge or grand jury. The FBI can get the records but not the content of communications, Justice Department officials said.

The practice has has grown dramatically, mainly due to powers granted under the USA Patriot Act, an anti-terrorism law Congress approved after the September 11 attacks. Critics say the act allows law enforcement to trample on individual rights.

Democrats in Congress have vowed to investigate the findings, which came as they stepped up criticism of Bush's administration for weakening protections on civil liberties as part of its war on terrorism.

But Bush said, ''the IG report, which justly made issue of FBI shortfallings, also made it clear that these letters were important to the security of the United States.'' The report found 26 possible violations, including requests for information without adequate authorization, improper requests under the law and unauthorized collection of telephone or e-mail records.

Gonzales said he was upset to learn the FBI did not have sufficient controls and failed to follow its own policies.

REUTERS MS RAI2157