McConnell: ‘very small number’ of Americans spied on.
By on Sep 18th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
McConnell: ‘very small number’ of Americans spied on.
During his testimony about warrantless surveillance today before the House Judiciary Committee, Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell said that out of the “billions” of conversations and e-mails intercepted abroad, only “a very small number” of Americans are “overheard.” McConnell gave no indication, however, of what he considered “small” to be, relative to “billions” of communications. Watch it:
Though McConnell claimed in the hearing that no Americans were the “targets” of “wiretaps” without a court order, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) insisted that “much-needed checks and balances” must be “restored” in the nation’s surveillance laws.
UPDATE: The Gavel has more on the hearing here.
View Most Popular
Advertisement
What We're About
What We're Fighting For
What We're Fighting Against
Featured
Subscribe to the Progress Report
Topic CloudView topics sorted by popularity
Afghanistan
Bachmann
Beck
Boehner
Bush
Business
Cheney
Civil Rights
Congress
Corporate Ethics
Dobbs
Economy
Education
Election
Energy
Environment
Ethics
Fox News
Gingrich
Glenn Beck
Global Warming
Health Care
Immigration
International Relations
Justice
LGBT
Lieberman
Limbaugh
Media
Military
O'Reilly
Obama
Palin
Pelosi
Politics
Race
Radical Right
Religion
Steele
Stimulus
Tea Parties
Tea Party
Terrorism
Veterans
Women's Rights
Visit Our Affiliated Sites
Reports
In-depth studies on select topics
Got a hot tip?
Have a hot news tip? We'd love to hear from you. Use the form below to send us the latest.
ArchivesBlog Roll
Small: like the 1.2 Million Iraqis dead?, or the 70,000 they admit to.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:43 pmI feel better already /snark off. I really miss America. It was fun while she lasted. Sigh…
September 18th, 2007 at 4:48 pmWhy, if you can’t trust the government with unlimited power to surveil its people, who CAN you trust?!
/sarcasm off
To the trolls: read up on the rise of fascist states. You’ll find unlimited power to spy was one of the first steps to eliminating a democracy, NOT protecting it.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:49 pmHmmm… the part that worries me the most is the word “billions.” It’s only a small amount that’s actually spied on… just don’t ask that number.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:50 pmNOT protecting it.
Comment by Parrotlover77 — September 18, 2007 @ 4:49 pm
You’re assuming they can read.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:51 pmJust like kids who don’t set out to become drug addicts, they can with poor supervision, lack of skills, abuse, and neglect. A country does not set out to become fascist, it can happen with poor supervision, lack of skills, abuse, and neglect.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:52 pmIsn’t this what the FISA court was established to prevent? One has to ask oneself this: What is the reason why they cannot get a legal “warrant” to spy? Answer: Because they’re NOT spying on suspected terrorists, they’re spying on political enemies. Case closed McConnell.
Besides, in the case of a serious threat, they can immediately begin their spying and then go for a defacto warrant – so WTF is he talking about.
He’s asking for a carte blanche to circumvent the law and the FISA court system, that’s what.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:52 pmWHAT’S THE NUMBER MOFO?????
September 18th, 2007 at 4:52 pmHe’s looking to save his butt, that’s what he’s doing in attempting to get defacto permission for his warrantless, highly illegal spying game. He’s not getting off the hook so quickly though regardless of how the rules may change now. When he played his little warrantless, “spy game”, it was totally illegal for which he can be prosecuted.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:54 pmApparently the 72 hour retro-active time period is not long enough, lets extend it to 120 hours, then require they follow the law.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:56 pmOH…that mfer is lying through his teeth
September 18th, 2007 at 4:56 pmBesides, why trust this known liar with any facts in the first place? He’s already admitted to lying about how these new rules were responsible for nabbing the German plot and was found to be a bold-faced liar and admitted that he lied. He should be GONE and held in contempt of congress for lying to them and the american people.
The fact is that we cannot trust anything coming from this government of spin and lies, propaganda and manipulation. To them, it’s all one big charade on the people; to them it’s merely a “game” – a piece of fiction at the expense of the destruction of this country.
If Congress caves on this spy program and doesn’t reinstate the laws which were put into place precisely for this horrendous abuse of power, then anyone voting to extend this unchecked power abuse needs to be swept from office. In essence, they will all become “our enemy within”.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:57 pmA country does not set out to become fascist, it can happen with poor supervision, lack of skills, abuse, and neglect.
Comment by ForTruth — September 18, 2007 @ 4:52 pm
Oh great… now you’re claiming Repubs are just neglected, misunderstood youths…
sarcasm/off…
September 18th, 2007 at 4:58 pmIf your US phone number is call from an overseas phone number informing you that you are eligible for a 1.5% refinance loan your US phone may may be monitored without a warrant?
September 18th, 2007 at 4:59 pmForTruth: You got it. Extension of the hours if it’s that impossible to comply but absolutely NOTHING ELSE. We have a legal system for obtaining warrants for spying. Why else would they be wanting to circumvent the warrant application?? Three guesses and the first two don’t count! It’s because they’d be outed immediately if people knew who was being spied upon.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:59 pmThe people will be watching the candidates Very, Very closely to see how they present themselves on this illegal spying situation. Anyone who attempts to defraud the public further on this breach of our constitution won’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of becoming elected.
September 18th, 2007 at 5:01 pmIs it just me or does McConnell look like he’s about to cry every time he’s providing testimony? I guess he’s scared $hitless and justifiably so. I hope he’s wearing a brown suit!
September 18th, 2007 at 5:02 pmThough McConnell claimed in the hearing that no Americans were the “targets†of “wiretaps†without a court order
Then they should prove it by releasing the records of all wiretaps to an appropriate congressional committee.
Sorry, Mitch, I don’t believe a word you say. If they weren’t spying on us they wouldn’t mind proving it to us.
September 18th, 2007 at 5:22 pmComment by Kevin Good — September 18, 2007 @ 4:59 pm
Kevin,
September 18th, 2007 at 6:03 pmIf you call up the MS Help Line, you are talking to someone in India or China. Same with your health care insurer.
Is it like compairing 300 million to say 1 million, that’s small. Just asking?
September 18th, 2007 at 6:06 pmSo if even “small” = only, 1% of the intercepts, that is 2 million American people/communication being spied on. As Ben Franklin said over 200 years ago:
September 18th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
#14: If your US phone number is call from an overseas phone number informing you that you are eligible for a 1.5% refinance loan your US phone may may be monitored without a warrant?
The answer is yes! Any call outside the U.S.
September 18th, 2007 at 7:07 pmIsn’t this same guy who admitted that he just recently lied to congress about the efficacy of these temporarily expanded powers? Give me a break. Why is this admitted liar still negotiating anything with congress? Are they insane to debate an admitted liar? I really can’t imagine that anything this man says will be 1) truthful and 2)factual.
September 18th, 2007 at 7:19 pmAs I see it, continued conversation with a known liar is an exercise in futility. Why does Congress give this guy any shred of credibility at this point?
September 18th, 2007 at 7:21 pmThe debate here should not be about “how few” americans are being illegally wiretapped; it should be about why the laws already in place need to be changed. The fact is that they’ve been circumvented and warrants were NOT applied for many, many times because it was not suspected terrorists involved for whom they could, obviously and easily get an immediate warrant or a defacto warrant within the FISA guidelines which are law. It’s come out that Bush began wiretapping citizens the moment he got into office. It’s time for the full truth to come out before congress caves into ANY of their demands. If they need the 72 hour law to be elongated, so be it. The people will be screwed if congress permits any of the abusive elements of this law to be contaminated.
The people were disgusted with the Dems who caved in August for the “temporary measure”. The people will have no mercy if Congress bends over for Bush and his abusers again.
September 18th, 2007 at 7:25 pmRealistically, the numbers of americans is a diversionary tactic by this administration and McConnell – if only ONE innocent american was illegally wiretapped, then they broke the law and need to suffer the ramifications of violation of existing laws. The number is insignificant and a “diversionary tactic” from the real discussion which needs to be taking place. Who are they trying to kid with the “numbers game”. So, if they only wiretap a eensy-beensy “few americans”, is that any less reprehensible than wiretapping only one? Who gets to decide just how many becomes illegal? Forget the numbers game as a diversionary tool and demand that our existing law be upheld to the letter of the law.
September 18th, 2007 at 7:28 pmMcConnell’s direct testimony is available to everyone/anyone with a modicum of resoursefulness (see TP thread of two days ago) which had the verbatim transcript of McConnell lying his butt off. Then he tried to spin it otherwise, but the transcript tells all. That is, an official transcript should is prima facie evidence of his lie in a court of law.
September 18th, 2007 at 7:30 pmcomment 3 PatriotLover:
good point.
1933 Enabling Act , Germany. So many people don’t realise that NAZI Germany started off as a representative republic and that Hilter was elected. Little by little he imposed his authoritarian rule on the country.
September 18th, 2007 at 8:16 pmThough McConnell claimed in the hearing that no Americans were the “targets†of “wiretaps†without a court order
Then they should prove it by releasing the records of all wiretaps to an appropriate congressional committee.
Sorry, Mitch, I don’t believe a word you say. If they weren’t spying on us they wouldn’t mind proving it to us.
Comment by bilbobaggins — September 18, 2007 @ 5:22 pm
I second that.
Nixon’s people during the Vietnam War most definitely spied on political opponents such as Ted Kennedy, MLK, John Lennon, Noam Chomsky, Jack Anderson, etc. Bush’s group is definitely not better than them. They have far greater spying technology today. Ted Kennedy and many political opponents of Bush are on “no-fly and watch lists” today. There are about 100,000 on these lists. Are there supposed to be 100,000 terrorists in the US. That is insane.
You can bet the farm. They are spying of patriotic Americans who are guilty of nothing other than opposing Bush.
September 18th, 2007 at 9:15 pmWhy shouldn’t we believe him? He’s already proved himself to be a totally credible witness. Not to mention he’s a member of the Bush admin. Now that’s trust! (insert sarcasm.)
September 18th, 2007 at 9:49 pmWell, this is only what WE know of! I bet, there are many different types of programs and technique’s that even the president doesnt know about…
September 18th, 2007 at 10:07 pmMcConnell was already caught in a lie about the new spying bill (Protect America, or whatever they’ve named it) stopping the terrorists in Germany. The terrorists are thugs and criminals and need to be dealt with by law enforcement. Instead of the cops tasering students in Florida, the cops should be following guys with nukes on airplanes. Oh wait, that was our military. McConnell will never answer questions and should never have been confirmed. Want to shut down this protection scheme? Don’t confirm any more Bush nominees for anything.
September 18th, 2007 at 10:25 pm#14 Kevin Good:
#14 Kevin Good:
If your US phone number is call from an overseas phone number informing you that you are eligible for a 1.5% refinance loan your US phone may may be monitored without a warrant?
Seeing as all foreign calls are pretty much fair game, just calling tech support enough times may get you on the watch list, particularly if the IslamoFascist Terra-ists are using the same lousy S/W as you….
Cheers,
September 18th, 2007 at 10:56 pmDirector of National Intelligence Michael McConnell said that out of the “billions†of conversations and e-mails intercepted abroad, only “a very small number†of Americans are “overheard.â€
The question is how many (or what percentage) are “overheard” that have nothing to do with Terra-Ism or Terra-Ists … and then what they do with the information. The new law is totally lacking in any specifics as to minimisation and mitigation procedures.
Cheers.
September 18th, 2007 at 10:58 pmA small number out of billions?! Even 1 percent of 1 billion is still 10 million!
September 19th, 2007 at 12:37 amAnd capital punishment is OK because “only a small number” of innocent people get executed.
September 19th, 2007 at 8:37 am