Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday defended efforts by the Pentagon and the CIA to obtain financial records of Americans suspected of terrorism or espionage, calling the practice a "perfectly legitimate activity" used partly to protect troops stationed on military bases in the United States.
But the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee expressed concern over the expansion of the military's domestic intelligence collection efforts and pledged that his committee will investigate how the Pentagon is using its authority.

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Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the Pentagon has issued hundreds of letters to American banks and other financial institutions seeking information about suspects in counterterrorism or counterespionage investigations.

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The efforts have been criticized by civil liberties organizations, which say the Pentagon is using "force protection" to spy on Americans and collect information on groups like war protesters.