Did Bush Derangement Syndrome Blog Postings Cause FISA Leaker To Reveal Himself?

NewsBusters ^ | August 6, 2007 | P.J. Gladnick

[PJ-Comix]

Anybody who reads Web forums dedicated to current events is familiar with the phenomenom of BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome) in which leftwingers rant wildly about the supposed crimes of the EVIL Bush regime. Most of the time those postings can be written off as just another case of the left having mental problems handling the fact that they do not control the executive branch of government. However, we might now have a case in which BDS has the positive effect of actually causing a high level government leaker of super secret information to expose himself. The story about the alleged leaker to the press of the FISA (Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act) program details was written up in the August 13 Newsweek article, Looking For a Leaker:

The controversy over President Bush's warrantless surveillance program took another surprise turn last week when a team of FBI agents, armed with a classified search warrant, raided the suburban Washington home of a former Justice Department lawyer. The lawyer, Thomas M. Tamm, previously worked in Justice's Office of Intelligence Policy and Review (OIPR)—the supersecret unit that oversees surveillance of terrorist and espionage targets. The agents seized Tamm's desktop computer, two of his children's laptops and a cache of personal files. Tamm and his lawyer, Paul Kemp, declined any comment. So did the FBI. But two legal sources who asked not to be identified talking about an ongoing case told NEWSWEEK the raid was related to a Justice criminal probe into who leaked details of the warrantless eavesdropping program to the news media. The raid appears to be the first significant development in the probe since The New York Times reported in December 2005 that Bush had authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on the international phone calls and e-mails of U.S. residents without court warrants.

What this Newsweek story by Michael Isikoff doesn't mention is what might have caused the FBI to be suspicious of the alleged leaker---BDS blog postings by Thomas Tamm. One such BDS posting was made by a reader identifying himself as Thomas Mann in the New York Times The Caucus political blog. The post was a sarcastic comment at 11:42 AM in the November 29, 2006 edition of The Caucus  over the possibility of civil war in Iraq:

It is not yet a civil war. It won’t be a civil war until there are two armies, one from the north, one from the south. The two armies must wear blue and gray respectively, and must be led by U.S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. Only then will it meet our definition of a civil war.

---Posted by Thomas Tamm

Even more revealing is this BDS post to Eric Alterman by Thomas Tamm in the far left Media Matters:

Correspondence Corner:

Name: Thomas M. Tamm
Hometown: Potomac, Maryland USA

Dear Eric: Is not the administration's position that they would not permit the U.S. Attorney to prosecute a Congressional Contempt referral an implicit admission that they allow politics to impact prosecutions? They are admitting that they would interfere with the independent judgment of a prosecutor on a specific case. I suggest that this is precisely what the firings of the U.S. Attorneys are ultimately about. Yes, they serve at the pleasure of the president, but they do not prosecute at the pleasure of the president. The White House is guilty of taking the blindfold off lady justice, not just covering her breasts. I am a former DOJ lawyer, for what that is worth.

If it turns out that Thomas M. Tamm is the FISA leaker, then a good case could be made that BDS postings on the web might have been his undoing. Ironically this would not be the first time a high government official illegally releasing top secret information revealed himself via web postings. Robert Hannsen, the FBI agent  convicted of selling secrets to the Soviet Union and Russia, raised suspicions about himself when he posted explicit information about his sex life on Internet chat rooms. Perhaps this FISA leak case will be the second time that web postings would have been the undoing of a government official illegally releasing top secret information. In the case of Hannsen his motivation was sex, in the current FISA case it just might be irrational BDS that undid the leaker.

[M Kehoe]

Bttt.

5.56mm

[PJ-Comix]

Rush is highlighting this article right now - Monday opening segment.

I MISSED that!!! What did he say?????

[maica]

On Today’s Show:

The FBI raided the home of former Justice Department lawyer Thomas Tamm in an effort to determine who leaked details of the NSA terrorist surveillance program to the Drive-By Media. This guy is a Clinton holdover. It’s about time the Bush administration got serious about going after those who leak national security information in an effort to undermine the war on terror. (Rush 24/7 Members: Listen Here).

000000

Basically he just read the newsbusters article!

[PJ-Comix]

Basically he just read the newsbusters article!

OMG!!! THAT'S MEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!

(My Empress Xenalyte needs to toss a death Frisbee to commemorate this event.)

[Paul Heinzman]

He's got a link to your Newsbusters post on his website here.

[shield]

Yep, the FBI has everything now...looks like Tamm will be exposing all involved in this...schumer comes to mind...

[PJ-Comix]

Great. BTW, I would love to find out if Tamm posted to KOmmieland or DUmmieland under an anonymous screen name. Would love to DUFU those Tamm posts.

[shield]

What about Elizabeth Edwards...during the last presidential election she posted at DU. The public needs to know...I think that needs to be put out there.

Tamm probably did...and the Feds will find it all. It appears they over time do a thorough investigation...lookin' for the leakers.

[VA Patriot Lady]

I believe this is the reason for the Gonzales/attorney firings “scandal” and hearings. An attempt to discredit justice department, and paint them all as political rather than professional.

[maica]

Interesting lineup of Google entries just now (My cut and paste do not capture the colors and links):

Results 1 - 10 of about 61,300 for Thomas Tamm FBI. (0.15 seconds)

Report: FBI Searches Home of Attorney in Warrantless Wiretap ...
WASHINGTON — FBI agents searched the home of former Justice Department lawyer Thomas Tamm last week in an effort to determine who leaked details of the ...
www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1876772/posts - 36k - Aug 6, 2007 - Cached - Similar pages

Did Bush Derangement Syndrome Blog Postings Cause FISA Leaker To ...
Tamm and his lawyer, Paul Kemp, declined any comment. So did the FBI. ... Even more revealing is this BDS post to Eric Alterman by Thomas Tamm in the far ...
www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1877019/posts - Aug 6, 2007 - Similar pages
[ More results from www.freerepublic.com ]

FBI Closes In On NSA Leaker
RUSH: Now, “FBI agents searched the home of a former Justice Department ... Thomas Tamm made a contribution to the Democrat National Committee in 2004. ...
www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/ site_080607/content/01125106.html.guest.html - Aug 6, 2007 - Similar pages
News results for Thomas Tamm fbi

Wired News Report: FBI Conducts Raid in Leak Probe - Aug 5, 2007
AP 08.05.07, 4:21 PM ET FBI agents searched the home of former Justice Department lawyer Thomas Tamm last week in an effort to determine who leaked details ...
Forbes - 54 related articles »

Looking For a Leaker-Former Justice Dept Lawyer’s Home Raided By ...
Tamm and his lawyer, Paul Kemp, declined any comment. So did the FBI. ... found this LTE at media matters from Thomas Tamm dated 7/25/07, fed-up ...
www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/ duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1518452 - 103k - Aug 5, 2007 - Cached - Similar pages

Here is how your FISA will be used...
Micahel Isikoff reports in Newsweek that the FBI raided the home of Thomas Tamm, a former attorney in the Justice Department’s Office of Intelligence Policy ...
tailrank.com/2364171/Here-is-how-your-FISA-will-be-used - Aug 6, 2007 - Similar pages

Daily Kos: Payback Time: FBI Raids Home of Suspected NSA Leaker
As Michael Isikoff details in Newsweek, a team of FBI agents raided the home of Thomas M. Tamm, a veteran prosecutor and former official of the Office of ...
www.dengre.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/8/5/12401/37411 - 31k - Aug 5, 2007 - Cached - Similar pages

The Raw Story | FBI raids DOJ attorney’s home in search for ...
As Newsweek reports in its August 13 issue, the FBI has used a secret warrant to raid the home of former Justice Department lawyer Thomas M. Tamm, ...
rawstory.com/news/2007/FBI_ raids_DOJ_attorneys_home_in_0805.html - 21k - Aug 5, 2007 - Cached - Similar pages

[shield]

You could be right. It could be as we’ve speculated. I’ve thought lots about the true motive...I don’t think we’ve hit on it yet.

[murdoog]

The movie is only good due to Chris Cooper. Other than that, it’s bs.

I saw it recently and enjoyed it. I also heard an interview with Eric O'Neill, the FBI employee who investigated him, and he seemed to think it was fairly realistic.

[Xenalyte]

I just went outside and whaled it at the dead live oak in our front yard.

The tree, as expected, did not respond.

So I did it again, and ay-yi-yi-yi-yied for good measure. That’ll show it!