The NSA refused to deny whether or not they spied on members of Congress, but says it would’ve been illegal if they had. They’re not going to check either, claiming that even checking if they did so would be illegal.
That’s the latest in a long line of efforts by the NSA not to answer any questions about its past abuses, per a letter from NSA chief Gen. Keith Alexander, who was responded to the non-answer he gave to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I – VT) before.
Incredible as it seems, Alexander’s argument is that searching their database for past instances of spying on Sen. Sanders would be tantamount to spying itself, and therefore a violation of his privacy.
Sanders was unsatisfied with the excuse, saying NSA surveillance of political rivals could be a huge potential area of abuse. Nothing the NSA has said appears to deny that fact, or even deny that it’s been done. Rather they just argue that it’s legally impossible to check.
Every day this nightmare get's worse…. Can't some aliens invade Disneyland or a stork nest in the white house… We need this to end… Spying=blackmail=stolen elections/court verdicts and trillions of our tax money…..
What movie best describe the NSA? “Enemy of the state,” and the American people are the enemy. Their main objective is to dramatically expands the surveillance powers on any and everything.
We have a government thatclaims the right to murder us without charges or trial, can make you disappear under the NDAA without Habeus Corpus, supplies drug cartels with weapons and allows them to poison our children and citizens, uses the power of the IRS to target, ruin and intimidate political opponents, cuts welfare, food stamps, veterans benefits, and unemployment insurance to continue illegal wars and feed the pentagon, massively and unconstitutionally has us all under repressive surveillance…. and now claims that it would be violating our rights to tell us about it's suborning of congress. It gets more Orwellian by the minute. The NSA,CIA,DIA, DEA, IRS, FBI, and ATF need to be abolished just for a start.
Excellent post. Clapper and Alexander have already been caught lying to Congress, their sudden squeamishness about legality is disingenuous to say the least.
In other words, "Yes", the NSA has been spying on Congress.
In other words, "Yes", the NSA has been spying on Congress. And aren't we all so very surprised?….. and of course, "shocked, utterly shocked! Devastated even."
I'm shocked- SHOCKED, I tell you- to see that someone would even suggest the NSA do ANYTHING illegal.
Then again, if the good Senator gives explicit permission to the NSA to search for any records held on him, how could they claim any illegal intent? Not that they'd do it, of course, but it would call their bluff- if they claimed to have found no records, there is no way the Senator could have any NSA info used against him…. and if they did produce records, they would have exposed themselves as having spied on members of Congress.
That is, of course, a very simplistic way of looking at it. Unfortunately, the reality would be much, much more difficult to map and track.
Oh now the fruit Alexander cares about the law?
"Do not try to bend the law — that's impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth: there is no law."
Good one. The law is for those of us who live inside the Matrix.
Well, guess what, NSA, you cannot decide whether checking to see if you spied on Congress is legal or not. You don't write and pass the legislation; only members of both Houses of Congress do.
You don't sign or veto legislation, either; only the President has that authority. Neither do you interpret laws; only the Judiciary does that.
So you see, guys and gals, you're subject to the nation's laws, just like everyone else.
Col. Flagg lives…sheesh.
All that's needed to resolve this is for any members of congress, or the judiciary, or administrators for that matter, that are or have been blackmailed to have the courage to stand up and admit it. Oh well, that's a long shot.
Congress has the power of the purse– only a complete nitwit with an IQ lower than their shoe size wouldn't use it when faced with this kind of BS, . . . . Oh, I guess I kind of answered my own question– sorry.
They don't need to check. They know they're doing it.
The same Congress that gives the big A-OK to spying on the citizenry wants to be held immune? Haha, the fiction that this is a Republic is further given the lie every day by the state's own hand. In a Republic there is one system of law. Only in an aristocracy is there a privileged, immune caste exempt from abusive government behavior that same caste unleashes on the rest of us.
Franz Kafka come on down.