Whistleblower Tells Olbermann NSA Spied On Journalists (VIDEO)

On Keith Olbermann's show Wednesday night, former National Security Agency analyst Russell Tice said that reporters were spied on inside the United States.

Watch:

Former NSA analyst Russell Tice, who has claimed to be a source for the NY Times explosive 2005 story, told Keith Olbermann last night that the NSA collected information on journalists.

Transcript, via Politico:

OLBERMANN: I mention that you say specific groups were targeted. What group or groups can you tell us about?

TICE: Well, there's sort of two avenues to look at this. What I just mentioned was sort of the low-tech dragnet look at this. The things that I specifically were involved with were more on the high-tech side. And try to envision, you know, the dragnets are out there, collecting all the fish and then ferreting out what they may. And my technical angle was to try to harpoon fish from an airplane kind of thing. So it's two separate worlds. But in the world that I was in, as to not harpoon the wrong people in some -- in one of the operations that I was in, we looked at organizations just supposedly so that we would not target them. So that we knew where they were, so as not to have a problem with them. Now, what I was finding out, though, is that the collection on those organizations was 24/7, and you know, 365 days a year, and it made no sense. And that's -- I started to investigate that. That's about the time when they came after me, to fire me. But an organization that was collected on were U.S. news organizations and reporters and journalists.

OLBERMANN: To what purpose? I mean, is there a file somewhere full of every e-mail sent by all the reporters at the "New York Times?" Is there a recording somewhere of every conversation I had with my little nephew in upstate New York? Is it like that?

TICE: If it was involved in this specific avenue of collection, it would be everything. Yes. It would be everything.

Comments

[BOin08]

Why is the MSM not picking up on this story? Because sober journalist see Mr. Tice for who he is- a disgruntled employee with an axe to grind, and, more importantly, as someone with no evidence what so ever. NSA insiders say Tice was fired out of shear incompetence and, from his interviews and slow processing of simple questions, you can see why. Only KO would put him on the air-a sad and pathetic reach for Mr. Olbermann and MSNBC. I know for a fact that Chris Mathews and others at the network are embarrassed. I guarantee we will not see Mr. Tice on any other network for one reason- Crediblity.

[street sense]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k558Pl-miRM

You got that right! This guy is full of it

[insomnolent]

And why is this not a front page story? Oh right, because yet again the media has failed to do their job once again, even in the face of being a victim.

[tbone99]

I think we'll be hearing from a lot more whistelblowers in the near future.
Perhaps we should offer rewards for those with credible evidence.

[slarabee]

What makes this more disturbing is that the NSA is building a new data center in San Antonio TX that will house enough servers to record the conversations of every citizen on the US.
http://www.sacurrent.com/news/story.asp?id=69607

This facility is withing a few miles of a major Microsoft data center.

Now realistically it is a matter of bandwidth that makes that seem impossible but then again we have no idea how deep they are into the rest of the telecom infrastructure.

Scares me I'll tell you that.

[tbone99]

yes- it is the state of 2 repug Senators, a repug Guv and a state that hosts a number of "homeland security" type programs in Texas Universities , recruiting heavily among the student population.

Its basically in Repug hands.

[Cynth]

While the media/press slept on the job, it was being targeted. I wonder if the Fourth Estate has begun to awaken to the significance of this yet?

[Topsailsman]

There is no Fourth Estate, they've all been sold to corporate holding companies that have driven them into the ground. There was a time when the editorial board of any media operation was independent and well funded. Now its gutted and gone. Its up to regular people on the internet now.

[Emerald1943]

The next few months are going to be really interesting as the "dirt" surfaces! If this man's allegations are true, and I have no reason to doubt him, there MUST be prosecutions of the Bush administration!!!

If the Congress was "tapped", intimidated and threatened as the press obviously was, then it explains a lot of the legislation that was passed (or not) during the past 8 years.

I was never afraid of my government until the last several years, but I have been VERY afraid! We have been going down a very slippery slope and our course MUST be reversed NOW!

[-0013]

"If the Congress was "tapped", intimidated and threatened as the press obviously was, then it explains a lot of the legislation that was passed (or not) during the past 8 years."

This guy never said that, but it's nice to see how quickly you were able to make that jump in thinking.

[Emerald1943]

I must admit that I did not arrive at this conclusion quickly. I watched a US Congressman state, on the floor of the House of Representatives, that they had been threatened with martial law by Bush if they did not pass the bailout. This was about two weeks or so before the elections. Then the story just went away! I wondered then....and I know now! It doesn't take much imagination!

[myangeldog1]

Tice isn't finished. It's interesting to see that we have a 13 percenter here on H u f f p o defending the worst and most dangerous Vice President in U.S. history..

[sanaaiman]

that is some kind of scary...

meanwhile the members of the media are more worried about pool reporters and audio instead of tv cameras being brought in the for the do-over swearing in of our new president. are they going to lodge a complaint about his too?

[rbspickles]

The NSA makes such a nice little SS oraganization. I'm so proud of my fellow American jack booted thugs making sure that we are all safe and snug, wrapped in a warm chain and duct tape. I feel so safe now.

[myangeldog1]

*chuckle*

[thromulese]

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Just wait till more bush/cheney “rocks” are looked under. These people were bad actors to the core. And nothing they did would surprise me.

[vinny]

let's see if even one rock gets looked under...

[lagumbo]

Lets put all the criminals in prison. Bush and his cohorts are not any better than Sadaam. The need to give them the faith Sadaam received.

[voltage356]

This really shouldn't not be news; people were not paying attention when they wanted to tap phones. I wonder if Alec Baldwin line was tap also. Who knows the WH COULD BE TAP?

[westreal]

He sure does like to talk. Rather than answer the questions directly, he takes you down the block around the corner, up the stairs and somewhere along the way he mutters the answer. Dude we don't know what you're talking about with all the NSA jargon. Just answer the question, who were they spying on and was it illegal.

But kudos to him for being an upstanding American citizen with more respect for that Gawd Damm Piece Of Paper than the boss he served.

[MathIsTruth]

Keep in mind that this guy is not a public speaker by trade.

More importantly, he clearly was choosing his words carefully. Aside from the illegal activity he was talking about, he was also being careful NOT to give out any LEGAL classified information that he knew. This guy clearly respects the law.

[voltage356]

I'M SURE CHENEY OVERSAW THIS OP'S.

[myangeldog1]

Yep.

[-0013]

I heard Cheney was in charge of the thunderstom that ruined my round of golf yesterday.

He also caused my grandmother soufflait to collapse at dinner last night.

He must be stopped.

[myangeldog1]

He has been stopped.

[CP18]

Beware or you'll get a face full of buckshot

[Merckx]

Why is this not on the front page? Why is this not on the front page of every paper in the country?

[voltage356]

Because we are beening controlled!


Why is this not on the front page? Why is this not on the front page of every paper in the country?

[AngieMom57]

Why is this not on the front page?"

Sing along..."...while the MEDIA SCHOOLED US"...

and ask, who controls the media???? Could it be, nay, not BIG CORPORATIONS, nay...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnT21hmlT4o

[myangeldog1]

Too good!

[mafina]

Why you ask? Part/parcel because the MSM has not released themselves from the bondage of the gov't. The script reading bobbleheads have not gotten their orders to present this to the american people in this fashion.

[politricking]

Same reason the mainstream media is silent when ti comes to the idea of prosecutions for the Bush years.

[-0013]

Because it's unsubstantiated.

[myangeldog1]

KO reported in the same broadcast that W was on vacation 1/3 of his Presidency. Makes you wonder what Old D.i.c.k. was up to all that time. I honestly don't think that George had the where-with-all to conceive such ideas, not letting him off the hook by any means......but C.h.e.n.e.y.....holy cr@p..... he had to have been the most paranoid, delusional, dangerous, menace this country has ever experienced.......thank gawd he's history.

[colorperdaughter]

Well said

[drock973]

When the President goes "on vacation" is he no longer the President? Does he stop working? It's not like a regular job.