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The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation and is demanding records regarding Internet postings by critics of the Bush administration that list the names of Republican delegates and urge protesters to give them an unwelcome reception in New York City. Federal prosecutors said in a grand jury subpoena that the information was needed as part of an investigation into possible voter intimidation. Protesters and civil rights advocates argued that the Web postings were legitimate political dissent, not threats or intimidation. The investigation, by the Secret Service, comes at a time when federal officials have mounted an aggressive effort to prevent what they say could be violence by demonstrators at the convention and at other major political events. Large-scale demonstrations in New York began over the weekend. Some Democrats in Congress and civil rights advocates have criticized the efforts, saying the inquiries have had a chilling effect on free speech."People have a right to be heard politically, and the names of a lot of these delegates are already public anyway," said Matt Toups, 22, a system administrator for the Web site that includes the delegate lists. "This is just part of the government's campaign to intimidate people into not saying things." [more

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