Clinton NSA Wiretapped Top Republican

newsmax.com ^ | Friday, Jan. 6, 2006 11:10 a.m. EST

[InvisibleChurch]

Friday, Jan. 6, 2006 11:10 a.m. EST Clinton NSA Wiretapped Top Republican

During the 1990's under President Bill Clinton, the National Security Agency conducted random telecommunications surveillance of millions of phone calls daily under a top secret program known as Echelon.

But according to at least two people familiar with the spy operation at the time, some of the surveillance was far from indiscriminate.

In a February 2000 interview with CBS's "60 Minutes," NSA operator Margaret Newsham revealed that the agency's listening post in Great Britain was involved in monitoring the phone calls of at least one top Republican on Capitol Hill.

Questioned by "60 Minutes" interviewer Steve Kroft, Newsham recalled how she learned of the illegal surveillance:

"I walked into the office building and a friend said, 'Come over here and listen to--to this thing.' And he had headphones on, so I took the headphones and I listened to it, and I looked at him and said, 'That's an American.' . . .

Ms. Newsham remembered, "It was definitely an American voice, and it was a voice that was distinct. And I said, 'Well, who is that?'

"And he said it was Senator Strom Thurmond."

Until his retirement from the Senate in 2002, Thurmond was a frequent critic of the Clinton administration, who played a leading role in the 1998 impeachment drama - though there's no known connection to the decision to wiretap the South Carolina conservative.

During the same program, however, Kroft consulted with Mike Frost, who worked for Canada's version of the NSA for 20-years.

Asked if it was commonplace for the NSA to monitor the phone calls of top U.S. politicians, Frost told CBS: "Of course it goes on. Been going on for years. Of course it goes on. That's the way it works."

[InvisibleChurch]

[El Gato]

Clinton NSA Wiretapped Top Republican

Impeach him again! Take away the sucker's pension, secret service protection and have Poppa Bush give him the cold shoulder.

[atomicpossum]

Hehehehehe.

(Just wish it wasn't Newsmax.)

[El Gato]

"And he said it was Senator Strom Thurmond."

Oh the poor monitoring tech. I'd hate have to listen to old coot... was he talking to his mistress?

[TommyDale]

"...was he talking to his mistress?"

Which one?

[Thud]

Jesse Helms revealed the secret identities of some of our informants in Central America, who were then killed. That made Helms a legitimate target for counter-intelligence. I doubt Thurmond was so disloyal but you never know.

[nmh]

Ah, but this doesn't matter. It was a DEMONCRAT that did it.

[Pirate21]

a top secret program known as Echelon.

Funny how this keeps being referred to as top secret. ECHELON WAS A KEY TOPIC ON THE TV SERIES "Alias"!!! "We intercepted a call to 'so-and-so' through Echelon." They even described it during its first mention as an electronic (phone/e-mail/etc) monitoring device utilized by the NSA!

[nmh]

"Until his retirement from the Senate in 2002, Thurmond was a frequent critic of the Clinton administration, who played a leading role in the 1998 impeachment drama - though there's no known connection to the decision to wiretap the South Carolina conservative."

Gimme a break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

His CRITICISM of the Clinton administration and LEADING role in the impeachment were PRECISLEY WHY he was wiretapped.

[conservative in nyc]

It's not just Newsmax. Here's the 60 Minutes transcript. Here's a CBS article from the time the story came out. This echelon stuff has been going on for years.

[Doctor Stochastic]

Under tha Patriot Act, things like this will cease to be news.

[mass55th]

Does anyone know if Thurmond's FBI file was one of those in possession of the Clinton White House?

[atomicpossum]

His CRITICISM of the Clinton administration and LEADING role in the impeachment were PRECISLEY WHY he was wiretapped.

Which makes it even more important to release the Barrett Report.

[pepperdog]

Big surprise? Not!

[VeniVidiVici]

bump

[OldFriend]

I think you are incorrect in blaming Helms for revealing the names of Central American informants.

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Actually, the MSM just won't report it.

[upchuck]

Which makes it even more important to release the Barrett Report.

BUMP!!

[Ingtar]

It makes me wonder who actually recorded the phone call involving Newt.

[TBP]

You can't publish things like this. It disturbs the Dimmycraps' strategy in an election year. Surely that must be a violation of McVain-Stinkhole.