While many in the nation are concerned with Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency (NSA) leaker who helped to spread the word about the agency’s spying and data collection within the US, the extent of that spying still remains clouded. Are our calls actually being recorded? Can that information be recalled at a later date? Gen. Kieth Alexander, the director of the NSA says no, but one whistleblower you haven’t heard of not only says yes, but insists its far worse than that.
NSA Whistleblower Russell Tice was the man responsible for leaking the original story about NSA spying to the NYT, held until after the 2004 election and eventually published in 2005. Tice notes in a recent interview that the NSA had been tapping the phones of major political figures — confirming the belief among some that the NSA spying scandal has more to do with political maneuvering than terrorism.
Here’s a partial list of phones recorded by the NSA according to Tice: US Senatorial Candidate Barack Obama in 2004, Secretary of State Colin Powell, General David Petraeus, the entire Supreme Court, prospective Supreme Court nominees like Samuel Alito, FISA court judges, US news organizations and journalists, various congresspersons both in DC and in their home districts, international financial organizations, charities like the Red Cross, anti-war and civil rights groups.
Further, Tice notes that when he was invited on MSNBC to discuss Snowden, he was told not to mention NSA spying by on government employees or officials. After that interview, he wrote:
“When they were placing the ear-phone in my ear with less than ten minutes left till my air time, the producer in New York said that their lawyers were discussing the material, and at this time, they did not want me to mention anything about the NSA wiretaps against all the people and organizations that I mentioned. That is how it went down. I did say on the air that I know it is much worse and would like to talk about that some time.”
Recent interviews with Tice can be found here and here.
