Report: NSA Kept File On Tony Blair’s ‘Private Life’ And Intercepted Iraqi President’s ‘Pillow Talk’
Report: NSA Kept File On Tony Blair’s ‘Private Life’ And Intercepted Iraqi President’s ‘Pillow Talk’
In October, ABC News reported that despite President Bush’s promises that the National Security Administration’s warrantless wiretapping program was aimed only at terrorists, the NSA frequently listened to and transcribed the private phone calls of Americans abroad. The network’s report was based on whistleblower interviews with two former military intercept operators.
One of the whistleblowers, former Navy Arab linguist David Murfee Faulk, told ABC News that he and his co-workers listened in on “hundreds of Americans” over the years:
Another intercept operator, former Navy Arab linguist, David Murfee Faulk, 39, said he and his fellow intercept operators listened into hundreds of Americans picked up using phones in Baghdad’s Green Zone from late 2003 to November 2007.
“Calling home to the United States, talking to their spouses, sometimes their girlfriends, sometimes one phone call following another,” said Faulk.
But it wasn’t just ordinary Americans. In a new report today, Faulk tells ABC that during his time working for the government, “U.S. intelligence snooped on the private lives of two of America’s most important allies in fighting al Qaeda: British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Iraq’s first interim president, Ghazi al-Yawer”:
David Murfee Faulk told ABCNews.com he saw and read a file on Blair’s “private life” and heard “pillow talk” phone calls of al-Yawer when he worked as an Army Arab linguist assigned to a secret NSA facility at Fort Gordon, Georgia between 2003 and 2007.
Though “collecting information on foreign leaders is a legal and common practice of intelligence agencies around the world,” former intelligence officials tell ABC News that the U.S. and Britain have a long-standing agreement “not to collect on each other“:
The NSA works extremely closely and shares data with its British counterpart, the GCHQ, Government Communications Headquarters.
“If it is true that we maintained a file on Blair, it would represent a huge breach of the agreement we have with the Brits,” said one former CIA official.
After ABC’s initial report in October, Senate Democrats promised to investigate the whistleblowers’ allegations. The Inspector General for the NSA is also reported to be investigating the allegations by Faulk and another former military intercept operator, Adrienne Kinne.
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make that announced
November 24th, 2008 at 1:14 pmUh, TP, Obama just accounced his Economic Team…
November 24th, 2008 at 1:14 pmThe Inspector General for the NSA is also reported to be investigating the allegations by Faulk and another former military intercept operator, Adrienne Kinne.
Edit:
November 24th, 2008 at 1:15 pmThe Inspector General for the NSA is also reported to be investigating
the allegations byFaulk and another former military intercept operator, Adrienne Kinne.I am soooo not surprised.
Where’s the stuff on the new economic team, TP?
November 24th, 2008 at 1:16 pmOne of the whistleblowers, former Navy Arab linguist David Murfee Faulk, told ABC News that he and his co-workers listened in on “hundreds of Americans” over the years
I hate it when we are right about this sh!t. I really do.
Fortunately, we’re less than 2 months away from a new and Constitutional Presidency.
November 24th, 2008 at 1:18 pmYeah, TP, and what about Virginia certifying anti-Muslim Virgil Goode’s loss against Tom Perriello?
November 24th, 2008 at 1:20 pmMcWars Says: Yeah, TP, and what about Virginia certifying anti-Muslim Virgil Goode’s loss against Tom Perriello?
Yay!
I also saw that Franken now leads Colman.
I haven’t felt this optimistic in a very long time.
November 24th, 2008 at 1:26 pm“…a file on Blair’s “private life””
poodle talk
“that’s a good little boy, bring the slippers…
November 24th, 2008 at 1:26 pm…arf arf arf”
And all it took to impeach Bill Clinton was a blowjob. Go figure.
November 24th, 2008 at 1:27 pmNews Flash? I don’t think so.
The NSA is tapping everyone including Laura Bush and the twins.
November 24th, 2008 at 1:32 pmunbelievable Says:
Yay!
I also saw that Franken now leads Colman.
I haven’t felt this optimistic in a very long time.
Great! I’ve been meaning to check for updates on the Minnesota race! Thanks for the heads up!
November 24th, 2008 at 1:32 pmHow about this…
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/24/tech/main4630223.shtml?tag=topHome;topStories
I’m heading out to the shop and work on some carbon fiber reinforced fly swatters.
November 24th, 2008 at 1:36 pmSo how is Bushco going to spin this? That Blair was a suspected terrorist?
November 24th, 2008 at 1:37 pmPoor Tony Blair. He ruined his reputation and gave up his career just so he could be friends with George W. Bush. He and Colin Powell should have a couple of pints together and discuss where they went wrong.
November 24th, 2008 at 1:39 pmIt is OK! Tony Blair is also a WAR CRIMINAL AND A LIER! Tony Blair was elected using a leftist discourse, but when he got into power, he had a right wing government who lie to the World to steal Iraq’s resources. He is A WAR CRMINAL and deserves to face the execution squad for his imoral crimes!
November 24th, 2008 at 1:45 pmand along came the fisa vote
and all you little people out there can just get used to it
because that’s just the way it is
and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it
Sincerely,
November 24th, 2008 at 1:46 pmYour Government
Fukc NAS!
November 24th, 2008 at 1:46 pmSomeone on Obama’s team should check with Blair. Maybe he has a juicy file on GW that could aid criminal hearings over here in the states.
November 24th, 2008 at 1:47 pmWhy all the confusion? Isn’t this what Fascist Governments do? And remember, according to Chimpster and Barbie Perino, we also do not torture.
November 24th, 2008 at 1:48 pmWhere are the freaks that used to always stop by to announce that this would keep us save and that unless you have something to hide you should trust the president’s plans to listen to the “freedom haters”?
November 24th, 2008 at 1:49 pmDo poodles have a private life?
AIO
November 24th, 2008 at 1:50 pm.
While intercepting foreign to foreign communications is legal…
… The NSA still has yet to explain the interception of pillow talk between US Servicemen stationed overseas and their wives as being legal.
.
November 24th, 2008 at 1:51 pmThe trolls have been noticeably absent, haven’t they?
November 24th, 2008 at 1:51 pm.
Big Brother is just making sure it’s allies aren’t turning a “Joe Lieberman” on it.
.
November 24th, 2008 at 1:53 pmraynman Says: The trolls have been noticeably absent, haven’t they?
Imploded.
November 24th, 2008 at 1:56 pmTop DailyKos diary: “No news agency predicted it or broke the story until two hours ago this morning when theThink Progress blog became the first – beating all commercial media at their own game – to do so.”
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/11/24/125821/08/298/665847
November 24th, 2008 at 2:06 pmTony now knows his best friend was spying on him and PM Brown better watch his back as long as Bush is in office. Other World Leaders now know the Bush Administration used spying on their phone calls to blackmail them. What has Bush/Cheney turned the US into. We have become the most corrupt Country in the World and have no friends now. Tony’s wife might have something to say to him now. PM of Iraq should wash his hands of the Bush Administration and end any deals until the US gets an honest President.
November 24th, 2008 at 2:17 pm.
This is a bit old…
Blair, Bush could face probe at The Hague
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/03/18/1174152881638.html
But this is new…
Top judge: US and UK acted as ‘vigilantes’ in Iraq invasion
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/18/iraq-us-foreign-policy
Will the US Military face the same scrutiny and fate…
Are the UK armed forces war criminals?
http://www.redress.cc/global/cking20081123
We are a generation that is currently living and seeing WAR CRIMES being committed by our Nation and our Leaders. This is not a glimpse of a history generations long gone by but instead, a glimpse of the current generation of Governmental leadership that IS criminal. The question remains, WHY ARE THEY STILL ALLOWED TO LEAD?
In America, we are a generation that IS experiencing a criminal enterprise known as the Bush Administration and it’s gang of Congressional cooperatives; The BushCo!
I have yet to see the Senate debate the redeeming qualities of being lied to by an Administration. The redeeming qualities to usurping the People’s Rights contained within the Fourth, Fifth and Eighth Amendments. I have yet to see the debate on the redeeming quality to ignoring Geneva Conventions…
.
November 24th, 2008 at 2:24 pmThis should not be any surprise. I remember reports about the Bush administration tapping the phones and other communications at the U.N. for a period of time, as well. If the Obama administration doesn’t turn this situation around, there will eventually be another revolution in this country.
November 24th, 2008 at 3:30 pmBLAIR HAS ‘ROLLED OVER’ TO AVOID ARREST AND JAIL
By Christopher Story FRSA, Editor and Publisher, International Currency Review and associated intelligence publications and information services.
http://worldreports.org/news/179_blair_has_rolled_over_to_avoid_arrest_and_jail
November 24th, 2008 at 8:45 pmSo how will this help us make agreements with Great Britain in the future – when they don’t believe us ?
Why would Bush be spying on Blair ? Could he have been looking for some dirt on him to use if the going got rough ? Hasn’t that scenario already been suggested against political opponents ?
November 24th, 2008 at 9:05 pmJust like the cold war when everyone who didn’t agree with the U.S. was either a communist or a communist sympathizer. toki This poor crazy guy spent half a decade being tortured because a bunch
of stupid politicians araç sorgulama were sure the NVA
was in bed with the Russians (minimal help) and/or the Chinese (ancient enemy of the vietnamese). ssk sorgulama You would think he would have learned from others’
mistakes. Guess not. Republicans need an enemy. key ödemeleri This
century it apparently will be all Muslims, health all of whom must
be alQaeda operatives.
February 28th, 2009 at 7:57 pm