Congressman Rogers on NSA Phone Surveillance: ‘Greenwald Doesn’t Have a Clue How This Thing Works’

NewsBusters.org ^ | June 9, 2013 | Noel Sheppard

[Kaslin]

Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, on Sunday had harsh words for the Guardian’s Glenn Greenwald revealing last week that the National Security Agency is looking at phone records of virtually all Americans.

Appearing on ABC’s This Week, Rogers said, “I know your reporter that you interviewed, Greenwald, says that he’s got it all and now is an expert on the program. He doesn't have a clue how this thing works” (video follows with transcript):

Congressman Rogers on NSA Phone Surveillance: ‘Greenwald Doesn’t Have a Clue How This Thing Works’

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Finally, we're just about out of time. I just want a quick answer from each of you on this. We saw that a crimes investigation has been opened. Is it fair to say that both of you believe that this investigation should be pursued and the source if found should be prosecuted?

CONGRESSMAN MIKE ROGERS, CHAIRMAN OF HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE (R-MICHIGAN): I absolutely believe that someone did not have authorization to release this information, and why that’s so important, George, is because they didn't have all of the information. I know your reporter that you interviewed, Greenwald, says that he’s got it all and now is an expert on the program. He doesn't have a clue how this thing works. Neither did the person who released just enough information to literally be dangerous. I argue that there's other methods. He could come to the committees if they had concerns. We have IGs that they can go to in a classified way if they have concern.

Taking a very sensitive classified program that targets foreign persons on foreign lands, and putting just enough out there to be dangerous, is dangerous to us, it's dangerous to our national security, and it violates the oath of which that person took. I absolutely think they should be prosecuted.

STEPHANOPOULOS: You too Senator Feinstein?

DIANNE FEINSTEIN, CHAIRWOMAN OF SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE (D-CALIFORNIA): I do.

[jsanders2001]

Rogers is just running damage control on orders from the King

[Black Agnes]

So, Rogers, what do they have on you or your important donors?

[cripplecreek]

Mike Rogers goes from “acceptable” to “waste of time” on my list of senate potentials.

[Yo-Yo]

Oh we have a pretty good clue how the system works. The NSA is maintaining a database of what number every phone has dialed, when it was dialed, and for how long.

Then at any point in the future, if a target phone number becomes of interest (an arrested suspect’s cell phone, for example,) they can go back and query this massive database and find out every phone call made to or from that target number. Then they can track down those numbers and find out who is behind them.

Problem is, once you've been granted a warrant to get all the information at the start, you don't need to go back and ask a court permission to mine that data later. So what may be used to track down a known terrorist's other cell members today can be used by a political operative to get dirt on a potential opponent tomorrow, and there is no court or congressional oversight.

[ncfool]

Senator Kirk. He asked holder this earlier in the week.

Seems that Holder when asked by Senator Kirk today had a great response.

“Can you assure us no members of the Capitol building were monitored?” asked Kirk. When Holder said he wouldn’t be able to answer that question in an “open forum,” Kirk interrupted him. “I think the correct answer is ‘we stayed within our lane and we did not spy on members of Congress.”

[muawiyah]

So Rogers thinks we're tapping everybody in the world too!

I see a great future for subspace radio! Those old boys will be needing to go back to shaving heads and tattooing messages otherwise!

[JPG]

I Googled ‘Mike Rogers looks like Meat Loaf’. I'm not the only one who noticed.

[MestaMachine]

But evidently, the guy who released them DOES.

This will become a cause celebre. The only question is whose.

[bert]

They get a new warrant every 90 days don’t they?

[cripplecreek]

So Rogers thinks we're tapping everybody in the world too!

Apparently we've gone from world's policeman to global surveillance all at the expense of the oh so generous American taxpayer.

[Cementjungle]

Sorry Rogers, but as head of the Intelligence Committee you were involved up to your eyeballs in all this... you are going to be toast.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Same here.

[Timber Rattler]

Loser RINO enabler...

Flashback to 2011:

Rank-and-file reject Patriot Act

GOP struggles for PATRIOT Act votes

House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) offered a stern warning to his fellow lawmakers in a closed conference meeting Wednesday at the Capitol Hill Club: Don’t you dare vote no unless you attend Mueller’s briefing and ask your questions.

Bachmann defends vote for Patriot Act after fielding complaints about government over-reach

[Yo-Yo]

I'm sure they can be more subtle than that. They can go to the FISA court and say they have this case and need the previous 6 months of data from the phone companies. Then 9 month later they go back to the same court saying they have a new case, and they need the previous years’ worth of data. There may be some overlap from the previous data, but that's OK. The important thing is that the entire database is still intact.

[petitfour]

A reporter does not have all of the information? Golly gee whiz. I bet this Congresscritter and Senator Feinswein do not have all of the information either. Did Congresscritter know the IRS was targeting all political foes of the Bamster? No? Well, why not? I am sure the Bamster kept everyone informed of what was going on in his administration.

[RoosterRedux]

What is going on with the Republicans in the Congress?

It doesn't matter how it works...what matters is the power it gives a corrupt president.

It matters because Obama will do with the NSA just as he has done with the IRS and the EPA and the military. He will use it for political purposes.

Obama said, "the war on terror is over" as it pertains to jihadis. The only war he is now concerned with is one against those Americans who call themselves patriots and teapartiers and lovers of the Constitution.

[txrefugee]

Rogers is a Big Government supporter, not a patriot. He needs to be primaries ASAP.

[txrefugee]

Apple insists that PRIMARIED ia not a word unless it is done in all caps. Get with it, Apple.

[Cementjungle]

It matters because Obama will do with the NSA just as he has done with the IRS

The IRS is staffed with a bunch of idiot government "workers" while the NSA is staffed with a lot of really, really smart people.

Obama is going to be toast over this.. and so are a lot of other career politicians.