The FBI’s creeping advance into the world of counterterrorism is nothing new. But quietly and without notice, the agency has finally decided to make it official in one of its organizational fact sheets. Instead of declaring “law enforcement” as its “primary function,” as it has for years, the FBI fact sheet now lists “national security” as its chief mission. The changes largely reflect the FBI reforms put in place after September 11, 2001, which some have criticized for de-prioritizing law enforcement activities. Regardless, with the 9/11 attacks more than a decade in the past, the timing of the edits is baffling some FBI-watchers.
“What happened in the last year that changed?” asked Kel McClanahan, a Washington-based national security lawyer.
The Secular Jurist 
National security has become an magical invocation that can justify anything. It can justify unconstitutional acts, secrecy and even expanded budgets. I suspect that holding national security as it’s primary mission helps it to acquire more funding from Congress while at the same time avoiding scrutiny. From an institutional perspective it makes sense, you declare your primary function the one that will hold the most sway.
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A perceptive observation.
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