Officials at the State Department, however, have raised concerns over the practice — in part because most of the seizures have involved fraud and money-laundering investigations that are unrelated to terrorism.
State Department officials worry "that this might be seen by other countries as arbitrary or trying to extra-territorially impose our laws" under the guise of fighting terrorism, said a Bush administration official who demanded anonymity. Diplomats from several nations, including Switzerland, have voiced private objections, officials said.
The Justice Department has seized at least 15 foreign-based bank accounts in the United States in recent months, confiscating what prosecutors say they believe to be tainted money belonging to overseas banks in Israel, Oman, Taiwan, India, Belize and elsewhere, according to law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. Other seizures are also being considered, officials said.
Very good. The State Department is nothing but a bunch of Clintonites that should've lost their jobs when the new administration took over. The money laundering and fraudulent activities should've been addressed years ago, but it finally took the Patriot Act to get it done. Let Justice do their jobs.