The U.S. Attorney General issues guidelines that govern FBI investigations, the techniques that can be used in those investigations, and the level of Department of Justice or internal FBI oversight that is accorded particular investigations or techniques. One purpose of the guidelines is to ensure that FBI agents focus their investigative resources on crimes and threats to national security, and not on people who are merely exercising their First Amendment rights. Attorney General guidelines governing FBI investigations were first issued in 1976 by Attorney General Levi in response to FBI investigative activities that focused inappropriately on civil rights leaders and opponents of the Vietnam War and risked chilling legitimate First Amendment activity. The Levi guidelines have been relaxed over the years to permit more intrusive investigative techniques in the early stages of an investigation.
Policy Post 14.16: Investigative Guidelines Cement FBI Role As Domestic Intelligence Agency, Raising New Privacy Challenges, October 29, 2008
Attorney General Mukasey's Guidelines for Domestic FBI Operations, September 29, 2008
Transcript of briefing by DOJ and FBI officials on changes to Attorney General guidelines for FBI investigations, September 12, 2008
Rule Changes Would Give FBI Agents Extensive New Powers, Washington Post, September 12, 2008
Attorney General Mukasey's Prepared Comments at Portland, Oregon Anti-terrorism Conference Explaining Proposed Changes in Attorney General Guidelines August 13, 2008
The Attorney General's Guidelines Regarding the Use of FBI Confidential Human Sources [pdf], December 13, 2006
The Attorney General's Guidelines for FBI National Security Investigations and Foreign Intelligence Collection [pdf], October 31, 2003
CDT Analysis of the new FBI Guidelines: Impact on Civil Liberties and Security - the Need for Congressional Oversight, June 26, 2002
The Attorney General's Guidelines on General Crimes, Racketeering Enterprise and Terrorism Enterprise Investigations, May 30, 2002
Prepared Remarks of Attorney General John Ashcroft upon release of Attorney General's Guidelines on General Crimes, May 30, 2002
DOJ Fact Sheet on Ashcroft General Crime Guidelines [PDF], 2002
Minor addendum to General Crime Guidelines dated March 2, 1994
Attorney General Guidelines on foreign Intelligence, counterintelligence and international terrorism [pdf] (First issued in 1983, last available revision dated 1995 - heavily redacted)
Reporting on Civil Disorders and Demonstrations Involving a Public Interest, 1976