NYT report: National Security Agency tried to spy on a member of Congress.
NYT report: National Security Agency tried to spy on a member of Congress.
The New York Times’ Eric Lichtblau and James Risen report that the National Security Agency engaged in “overcollection” of e-mail messages and phone calls of Americans last year. The legal authority given to the NSA authorizes the surveillance of targets “reasonably believed” to be outside the United States. The Obama Justice Department said it “detected issues that raised concerns,” but claims that the problems have now been resolved. “[T]he issue appears focused in part on technical problems in the N.S.A.’s ability at times to distinguish between communications inside the United States and those overseas.” Lichtblau and Risen document one particular instance of misconduct involving the wiretapping of a member of Congress:
And in one previously undisclosed episode, the N.S.A. tried to wiretap a member of Congress without a warrant, an intelligence official with direct knowledge of the matter said.
The agency believed that the congressman, whose identity could not be determined, was in contact — as part of a Congressional delegation to the Middle East in 2005 or 2006 — with an extremist who had possible terrorist ties and was already under surveillance, the official said. The agency then sought to eavesdrop on the congressman’s conversations, the official said.
The official said the plan was ultimately blocked because of concerns from some intelligence officials about using the N.S.A., without court oversight, to spy on a member of Congress.
Congressional officials said they have “begun inquiries” into the matter.
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Would that member of Congress happen to be Barack Obama perhaps or maybe Ted Kennedy?
I just wonder….
April 15th, 2009 at 10:17 pmOOPs,my bad, the report said Congressman… Obama was a Senator….
April 15th, 2009 at 10:18 pmUh yeah, different branches of government are different for a reason.
April 15th, 2009 at 10:18 pmNo surprise here folks.It was the Bush run NSA.Anyone remember when the Dem members of congress were feckless & granted Bush all the funding he wanted,well the talk at that time was that Bush had secrets of many member of congress but try to remember just last week Karl Rove being confronted in a Dc restaurant & then Rove saying to the guy who confronted him(Rove)that he has files on those who were not loyal to Bush.Really, this needs to be investigated by the congress.
April 15th, 2009 at 10:23 pmGee. What a shock? This was only predicted by 95% of the people who post at TP. The other 5% are now engaged in teabagging because Obama’s administration is oppressive.
April 15th, 2009 at 10:25 pmKennedy is also a Senator but no biggy.
April 15th, 2009 at 10:25 pmAh, nothing seems to faze the enablers and that includes members of the current administration. Law? What law?
April 15th, 2009 at 10:26 pmI hear these “teabaggers” feigning concern over a “facistic government” that seeks to “destroy their future”.
I remember reading a fairy tale in elementary school about a guy that slept for forty year. “Rip Van something-or-other”. :)
April 15th, 2009 at 10:34 pmThe official said the plan was ultimately blocked because of concerns from some intelligence officials about using the N.S.A., without court oversight, to spy on a member of Congress.
That, and the Constitution. Did the Constitution ever come up in the discussions on whether or not the Executive Branch could eavesdrop on a member of the Legislative Branch?
April 15th, 2009 at 10:45 pmThis is what those morons should have been protesting against today.
April 15th, 2009 at 10:46 pmThere is a whole, WHOLE lot more to illegal surveillance than this—and don’t all of us KNOW it? My only brother was murdered by black ops for no reason except sport, and the ability to freely tap his phone made it possible. Excuse my rancor, but I’m a little sensitive about this subject. Each person involved in this program is more than a spy, every one is a cold-blooded, psychopathic killer.
Before he died, he told me, “thinks are so screwed up now.” Well bubba, THEY STILL ARE.
April 15th, 2009 at 10:52 pm@4 DutchHenry
OMG – it just gets worse and worse and worse.
There is an enemy within, and Rove is Mini-Me!
April 15th, 2009 at 10:59 pmSeriously, does anyone believe it was just one congressman, and that the NSA was unable to determine the actual name of that congressman? I certainly do not.
There is also no doubt in my mind that all political activities of the Dems were under close surveillance since 2001. One needs only examine the Kerry campaign and the fact that Rove and his minions were always one step ahead to realize we were witness to Watergate II.
And even with all the information in their greasy criminal hands, the Dems prevailed in 2006 and 2008.
PEACE
April 15th, 2009 at 11:03 pmDoes anyone believe this is something new? When I came back from Viet Nam in 69 I joined VVAW to protest the war. A few years ago I got a copy of my FBI file, and even with all the blacked out parts, it was quite scary as to how much they knew about my personal life away from the VVAW stuff.
April 15th, 2009 at 11:22 pmOMG they’re coming through the waalls!
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/us/16nsa.html?_r=1&hp
April 15th, 2009 at 11:25 pmShades of Watergate with this, seriously.
.
hp Says:
I remember a few (d)’s rubbing shoulders with terrorists last yr. Syria? The good (d) that was just shot at the other day? They must be watched. Period.
Can anybody translate this? Is this some kind of secret Internet Al-Qaeda code, or what?
.
angels81 Says:
Does anyone believe this is something new? When I came back from Viet Nam in 69…
Great point, angels. It’s been standard FBI practice to infiltrate political protest groups since J. Edgar Hoover ran the joint. It hasn’t changed, from then to now. If the wingnuts thought that they were going to get a special exemption, they’d best think again.
Whether it’s right or wrong in general is another story entirely. I don’t feel comfortable with it, but as long as no inappropriate searches, seizures, arrests or prosecutions stem from it, then I guess it’s OK. We wouldn’t want another Oklahoma City on our hands after all, would we?
April 15th, 2009 at 11:34 pmYou know, in light of this, if i was president, i would set everyone up with email encryption if he hasn’t already. It’s a big hassle, but it prevents casual eavesdropping. All the communications can still be held on record as required by law. All the tools needed to encrypt email can be found in email applications.
April 15th, 2009 at 11:34 pmYay, Ape-Man! It’s not that much of a hassle if it’s built in to the entire server.
April 15th, 2009 at 11:34 pm“Yay, Ape-Man! It’s not that much of a hassle if it’s built in to the entire server.”
Can you elaborate on that a bit. I didn’t get the meaning…
April 15th, 2009 at 11:39 pmI haven’t tried it so i can’t testify on how easy it is or what you do.
April 15th, 2009 at 11:44 pmplease let it be a Democrat…..and please let it be an idiot Democrat that voted for FISA
April 15th, 2009 at 11:58 pmLibertyLover Says:
OOPs,my bad, the report said Congressman… Obama was a Senator….
you’re still correct… or could be… kennedy too…
both are congressmen… but not Representatives.
do i have that right? er, correct?
April 16th, 2009 at 12:16 amApe-Man Says:
“Yay, Ape-Man! It’s not that much of a hassle if it’s built in to the entire server.”
Can you elaborate on that a bit. I didn’t get the meaning…
Public-private key security is much easier to do across an entire organization in which the trusted identities are known up front than implemented on an individual-to-individual basis. If both parties have it, then it can be made invisible to the users on each end. Putting it on all Congressional email would be a start, but Congress would have to choose to implement it. I’d be all for putting that on all government accounts as well.
If any administration were likely to implement such an obviously effective technical improvement, it’d be the Obama administration.
April 16th, 2009 at 12:16 amchimp isn’t fooling anyone. he spied on ordinary US citizens, the Quakers, wall st, aig, lehman bros, pentagon, the dem congress, the dem senators, Plame, enemies, etc.
April 16th, 2009 at 12:30 am“NYT report: National Security Agency spied on a member of Congress.”
Well, well, well. The watchers were watching the watchers. And I am waiting for Congress to go simply space city and cry foul on that fact that even a member of Congress was spied on! Boo hoo. Memo to Congress: You too were hookwinked by the Sith Administration. I wonder who was spied on. Hmmmm.. Was it Boner?
“Kevin Drum writes, ‘Looking on the bright side, maybe this will finally motivate Congress to take NSA surveillance more seriously.’”
And I concur. This should knock some sense into the Senate too.
April 16th, 2009 at 12:33 amthey’re just trying to keep us Safe and keep other coutries from getting the bomb
April 16th, 2009 at 12:33 amLike water to a fish in a black hole
When congress passed the Patriotic Acts I & II, Military Commissions Act, and Retroactive Immunity for Telecoms, they unilaterally forfeited any constitutional rights for themselves by voting away ours.
No one in the house or senate can stand real public hearings under oath on torture, secret rendition, black site prisons, deliberately falsified intelligence, warrantless surveillance, Wall Street fraud, politically motivated prosecutorial abuse by the DOJ, or lobbyist owned elected officials.
We asked for signs
the signs were sent:
the birth betrayed
the marriage spent
Yeah the widowhood
of every government —
signs for all to see.
from Anthem by Leonard Cohen
April 16th, 2009 at 1:17 amWayne Ant Schneider Says:
——————————————————————————–
The official said the plan was ultimately blocked because of concerns from some intelligence officials about using the N.S.A., without court oversight, to spy on a member of Congress.
That, and the Constitution. Did the Constitution ever come up in the discussions on whether or not the Executive Branch could eavesdrop on a member of the Legislative Branch?
————
Sorry, but that part of the Constitution was obliterated by some unidentified brown stains left behind (heh) by Shrub and his regime.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:41 amWayne Ant Schneider Says:
The official said the plan was ultimately blocked because of concerns from some intelligence officials about using the N.S.A., without court oversight, to spy on a member of Congress.
That, and the Constitution. Did the Constitution ever come up in the discussions on whether or not the Executive Branch could eavesdrop on a member of the Legislative Branch?
—-
i think we’re going to see a memo come out calling the constitution ‘quaint’.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:43 am.
How unfortunate for America the House Madame took accountability “Off the Table”…
… NO?
.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:51 amhp Says:
What makes you say that? Do you think obama will open the door to have himself exposed down the road? I think not.
Exposed how? The laws already require archiving and retrieval.
.
Max Anax junius -1 Says:
How unfortunate for America the House Madame took accountability “Off the Table”…
… NO?
Maybe it’s about time to start building a new table.
April 16th, 2009 at 2:32 ammaybe it is jefferson time in america.
April 16th, 2009 at 2:48 amresearcher Says:
maybe it is jefferson time in america.
STOP!
Jefferson time!
Nope, doesn’t work.
April 16th, 2009 at 3:08 amHopefully, this story will survive the right-wing attacks that are imminent.
Yay tomorrow!!
April 16th, 2009 at 3:29 amElBruce,
The table is not broken…
… But some of those who sit at it, are.
It is THEY who need replacing.
.
April 16th, 2009 at 4:11 am.
Shorter Title: The Bankrupting of America, Continues; Constitutional Principles.
.
April 16th, 2009 at 4:19 am#29 PPDCUS,
Well said!
.
April 16th, 2009 at 4:20 amMax Anax junius -1 Says:
ElBruce,
The table is not broken…
… But some of those who sit at it, are.
It is THEY who need replacing.
Are you saying we should have regularly scheduled elections in America? Great idea, let’s do that…
April 16th, 2009 at 4:30 amThere’s a hole in the dike!
April 16th, 2009 at 6:25 amYou mean…they weren’t spying on all of them?
April 16th, 2009 at 8:39 amSpy on them? They should all have been arrested and water boarded. Matter of fact, it’s not too late.
April 16th, 2009 at 8:54 amWhy should Congress be exempt from being spied on? They are not exempt from committing crimes. Consider this fact on our vaunted Congressional Body:
29 have been accused of spousal abuse,
7 have been arrested for fraud,
19 have been accused of writing bad checks,
117 have bankrupted at least two businesses,
3 have been arrested for assault, etc.
Statistically, at any given time there should be at least ten members of Congress being investigated for some type of criminal activity.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:57 amThe NSA warrantless spying program(s) had absolutely NOTHING to do with terrorism. It was ALWAYS about spying on Americans for political purposes.
Nixon & J.Edgar are smiling from Hell.
April 16th, 2009 at 10:06 amThe NSA warrantless spying program(s) had absolutely NOTHING to do with terrorism. It was ALWAYS about spying on Americans for political purposes.
Nixon & J.Edgar are smiling from Hell.
April 16th, 2009 at 10:06 amUncle Ho
Yes and 911 was an inside job. You wakos.
April 16th, 2009 at 10:08 amPayback’s a mothereffer .
April 16th, 2009 at 10:10 amOh yeah, it can happen to you…
Let’s make sure our elected officials obey the Constitution and get warrants for their surveillance activities. Ever vigilant!
April 16th, 2009 at 10:13 amUncle Ho, ya spose Nixon and Hoover are teabagging each other down there?
April 16th, 2009 at 10:14 am10secondhandpiss;
wakos or wacos?
takos or tacos?
potatoes or potatos?
You’ve been getting spelling lessons from Dan Quayle, haven’t you?
April 16th, 2009 at 10:17 amRU; of that, is there any doubt?
April 16th, 2009 at 10:17 amI’m always boggled by the lack of outrage on the right over this warrantless spying. I suppose it’s because their guy was doing the spying that they thought there was no way they could be targeted. Now, of course, Obama’s people can listen in. If that doesn’t send a shiver down every right winger’s back then I don’t know what would. They are listening to YOUR phone calls and it is legal because your guy put the program in place. Congratulations! When they put you in jail, you won’t get to keep your guns, second amendment or no.
April 16th, 2009 at 10:19 amUncle Ho
Are there spies under your bed? Are you scared? Scared of the dark? Ohhh, ohhh, look out they’re coming for you!
April 16th, 2009 at 10:58 am10secondhandpiss; Seems like YOU are the one afraid.
April 16th, 2009 at 11:06 amWhen I was in Nam, I not only learned to question authority, but to defy authority. So phuck off!
Does anyone seriously believe that for many years the Bush administration and Karl Rove had the power to do secret surveillance of anybody they chose– and refrained from using that power for political purposes? Anyone?
April 16th, 2009 at 11:40 am10hourday Says:
Boo! There’s a Socialist in your family…
April 16th, 2009 at 11:44 amEveryone is created equal, xcept when we are talking about illegal wiretapping. Then its cool to spy on normal folks but not our equals in govt.
Hahah
April 16th, 2009 at 12:05 pmCry
No if congress doesn’t get motivated to do SOMETHING after this report then….well…
April 16th, 2009 at 5:51 pmIs this like a another Watergate type thing? Or is it a legit investigation that just happens to involve eavsdropping on politicians? Will the noise dies down long enough to find out?
April 16th, 2009 at 6:46 pmOK Pat obviously senile dementia has set in. Time to see the nice young men that will need to take care of you soon.burun estetigi rent a car arac kiralama
April 18th, 2009 at 5:15 amsac ekimi