Obama and His Allies Say the Govt Doesn't Listen to Your Phone Calls — But the FBI Begs to Differ

[HomerRamone]

Today, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Michigan) insisted the NSA has not been recording Americans’ phone calls under any surveillance program, and that any claim to the contrary was “misinformation.” Rogers’ comments countered remarks from Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), who said he was told in a House Judiciary Committee briefing by FBI Director Robert Mueller that private firms contracted by the NSA could listen to phone calls made by American citizens.

Since Nadler’s comments were reported by CNET, he has issued a subsequent statement backtracking on his original remarks: "I am pleased that the administration has reiterated that, as I have always believed, the NSA cannot listen to the content of Americans’ phone calls without a specific warrant.”

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However, in a May 1 interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett– well before the scandal over NSA spying sent the White House and its allies into damage control mode – a former FBI agent named Tim Clemente made a startling revelation. According to Clemente, an April 18 phone call between Boston bombing perpetrator Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his wife was retrieved by the FBI as part of its surveillance of bulk US telecom data.

<...>

Clemente’s comments completely undermine Rep. Rogers’ claim that the government is not recording Americans’ phone calls, and seem to contradict Mueller’s claim that any surveillance that exists is “particularized” according to court orders. Unfortunately, the remarkable statement was buried under the Boston bombings media frenzy, and seems to have been forgotten amidst the latest revelations of NSA domestic spying.

<...>

Given open FBI acknowledgment that it monitors American phone calls on a massive scale, and that it almost certainly relies on the NSA to do so, it is hard to understand the denials by the White House and its allies. Perhaps, like Groucho Marx, they hope we will believe them instead of our own two lying eyes.[/div class="excerpt"]

MORE: http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/max-blumenthal/50089/obama-and-his-allies-say-the-govt-doesnt-listen-to-your-phone-calls-but-the-fbi-begs-to-differ

[Sienna86]

1. Isn't Rep. Roger a former FBI agent?

I seem to recall that he left early to enter politics.

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. You are correct

He graduated from Adrian College, Adrian, Michigan in 1985, from which he earned a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice and Sociology, and served in the United States Army from 1985 to 1989. He worked as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in its Chicago office, specializing in organized crime and public corruption, 1989–1994. He is a member of the Society of Former Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
says Wiki.

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. Sen. Lindsay Graham: If we don't monitor terrorist phone calls/emails,

Sen. Lindsay Graham: If we don't monitor terrorist phone calls/emails, another terrorist attack is likely
- @meetthepress broadcast

[HomerRamone]

4. and we're supposed to care about Lindsay Graham *why*? nt

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. Because what he said is relevant to the OP's point.

[HomerRamone]

6. Are we supposed to take his word on this? nt