NSA Whistleblower Backs Trump Up on Wiretap Claims

[bananas]

Source: US News and World Report

President Donald Trump is "absolutely right" to claim he was wiretapped and monitored, a former NSA official claimed Monday, adding that the administration risks falling victim to further leaks if it continues to run afoul of the intelligence community.

"I think the president is absolutely right. His phone calls, everything he did electronically, was being monitored," Bill Binney, a 36-year veteran of the National Security Agency who resigned in protest from the organization in 2001, told Fox Business on Monday. Everyone's conversations are being monitored and stored, Binney said.

<snip>

The judges on the FISA court are "not even concerned, nor are they involved in any way with the Executive Order 12333 collection," Binney said during the radio interview. "That's all done outside of the courts. And outside of the Congress."

<snip>

"That's not the main collection program for NSA," Binney said.

<snip>

"I think that's what happened here," Binney told Fox. "The evidence of the conversation of the president of the U.S., President Trump, and the (prime minister) of Australia and the president of Mexico. Releasing those conversations. Those are conversations that are picked up by the FAIRVIEW program, primarily, by NSA."

Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2017-03-07/nsa-whistleblower-bill-binney-says-trump-is-absolutely-right-about-wiretap-claims

[tenorly]

1. Maybe - but ALL presidents are.

As are the rest of us. C'est la vie.

[Fast Walker 52]

49. the key fact here is that Obama didn't order it

to the extent that people are wiretapped, we all are to a certain extent. Trump may have gotten a specific wiretap-- but it sure wasn't ordered by Obama.

[tenorly]

50. I'm with you on that.

Certainly didn't want to imply that Obama was somehow behind it.

I think it's common knowledge that all presidents, since Mary Hoover's day, have been under a pretty invasive level of surveillance whether they liked it - or knew of it - or not. The same of course applies to high-level public figures - particularly candidates who resort to conniving with a foreign power to win an election, as Cheeto did.

Frankly, if Obama did order it in Trump's case, then kudos to him.

[Fast Walker 52]

55. yeah-- the whole "Obama wiretapped me" line is so freaking dumb from every angle

there's no way Trump comes out looking good from it, even though his brain-dead followers will still buy it.

[Kimchijeon]

57. Yep.

[Orrex]

2. Well...

If Trump was known (or strongly suspected) to have deep financial ties to Russia along with personal foibles ripe for blackmail, it seems reasonable that he'd be identified as a risk requiring surveillance.


He could probably make a lot of this go away by, you know, releasing the tax returns that he said he'd release.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. Guy's been out of it for 16 years. He knows no facts, just speculating.

The conversations of the president of Mexico and PM of Australia where not reported as transcripts, but rather as impressions of the conversation relayed through one or two layers from the White House itself.

[Blue_Tires]

4. So now we're in bizarro world

Self-styled "whistleblowers" in the Obama era have now become full-throttle government quislings...

[Demsrule86]

48. This guy left in 2001.

Bullshit story...just trying to help Trump...

[aggiesal]

5. This guy has no proof ...

He's just generalizing.

Besides, Cheetolini never said he was being wiretapped,
he said the Cheetolini Towers was being wiretapped, and
Paul Manfort lives there. So, when you're dealing with the
head Russian spy, of course your calls are going to be monitored.

[Maeve]

6. He hasn't been with them for 16 years

And he says "everyone is being monitored".

I think you need a whole salt block, not just a grain of salt, to swallow this one...

[DURHAM D]

7. 2001?

He doesn't know jack shit about anything.

As for the conversation with Australia and Mexico...I thought Australia and Mexico released those transcripts.

[Kolesar]

12. I'm glad that you are paying attention

I did not get the Aus/Mex connections.

[atreides1]

8. I noticed something!

He waited until he was eligible for retirement, before protesting what the NSA did...which was probably the same thing they did while he was waiting to punch his ticket!!!!

[procon]

9. Wait... he's been out of the loop for 16 years and he's now clairvoyant?

I'm a bit skeptical when another FauxNews "expert" is trying to tell us that the US spy agencies haven't changed their polices and procedures in at least 16 years.

[turbinetree]

14. You took my thunder he was on Faux News, business at that

he now is coming out from under the rock, go figure

Was he on with Stuart Varney, if so that says it all!

[Kolesar]

10. Ummm, the story is Ukraine

Russia worked their connections to get the dog-shit-colored-candidate to deal away the Crimea.

...and further, it was not political...
What Binney did not delve into, however, was if President Obama directed surveillance on Trump for political purposes during the campaign, a core accusation of Trump's. But Binney did say events such as publication of details of private calls between President Trump and the Australian prime minister, as well as with the Mexican president, are evidence the intelligence community is playing hardball with the White House.

[Freethinker65]

11. So an IC guy that quit 15 years ago is confirming

Is confirming that all communications in the country are/can be monitored. While not a fan of this, I believe this is passive monitoring and not actively targeting set individuals with/without a FISA warrant (which was Trump's accusation). What this will do is make Trump even more paranoid. Also, I thought the phone conversations between Trump and other heads of state were made public by those talking to Trump?

[Kolesar]

13. Fathead has frayed neurons and synapses and cannot remember who he talked to about what

He was so stupid that he had no idea he was being a foreign agent at the least.

[snooper2]

27. ROFLMAO- People still think all their calls are being recorded

99 percent of people aren't really that important to the intelligence community LOL

Telephony is not just a "series of tubes" as idiot Ted Stevens said....

[TrollBuster9090]

15. " Everyone's conversations are being monitored and stored, Binney said. "

" Everyone's conversations are being monitored and stored, Binney said. "

Okay, so he's just referring to the fact that EVERYBODY'S telephone conversation data is being collected and stored by the NSA under the Patriot Act, which was brought in in 2001, and which he resigned over. The NSA admits to keeping metadata on all phone calls, but doesn't admit to storing recordings of the conversations. (They might not be telling the truth about the second part, but this is what Binney is talking about.)

So, he has no information on whether Trump Towers were wiretapped specifically. (Not that Fox News and Breitbart won't SPIN it that way...)

[snooper2]

29. technically not possible to record all calls-

And the "metadata" is simply a CDR that all carriers are required to keep anyway for CALEA.

[CentralMass]

16. This guy resigned in 2001.

[jannyd65]

17. He left in 2001...

He left under W. How would he know what Pres. Obama did? Pres. Obama did not take office until 2009! I guess he (Pres. Obama) got back into his time traveling machine like he did when he started the Iraq War and other things he was accused of during the Orange thing's campaign...

Anything to smear one of the Best.Presidents.Ever!!

[leftynyc]

18. LOL - quit in 2001

and is pretending to know what's going on now? How much more pathetic is this going to get?

[rzemanfl]

19. This would be funny if it wasn't so fucking dumb. n/t

[titaniumsalute]

20. Whistleblower??

The comes out and basically says that everyone at anytime is being listened to under surveillance. OK so that means everyone. That doesn't mean the President ordered anything. Plus this guy has been out of the NSA since 2001. Sheesh.

[LiberalLovinLug]

23. Obama was careful to say he did not personally order a wiretap

He could have very well APPROVED a wiretap based on recommendations by the intelligence community.

[cstanleytech]

45. Unless I am misunderstanding it approval of the President isnt sought after at all for a

FISA warrant but if the Repugnants want to run with claiming that *shrug*

[pnwmom]

21. The remaining parts of the Patriot Act, passed in 2001, expired in June 2015.

The NSA used to collect massive amounts of "meta-data" but the authority for for that ended in 2015. The phone companies retain data but the NSA must obtain warrants to obtain the information.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Act

The USA PATRIOT Act is an Act of Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001.[1] With its ten-letter abbreviation (USA PATRIOT) expanded, the full title is "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001".[2]

On May 26, 2011, President Barack Obama signed the PATRIOT Sunsets Extension Act of 2011, a four-year extension of three key provisions in the USA PATRIOT Act:[3] roving wiretaps, searches of business records, and conducting surveillance of "lone wolves"—individuals suspected of terrorist-related activities not linked to terrorist groups.[4]

Following a lack of Congressional approval, parts of the Patriot Act expired on June 1, 2015.[5] With the passage of the USA Freedom Act on June 2, 2015, the expired parts were restored and renewed through 2019.[6] However, Section 215 of the law was amended to stop the National Security Agency (NSA) from continuing its mass phone data collection program.[6] Instead, phone companies will retain the data and the NSA can obtain information about targeted individuals with permission from a federal court.[6]

[karynnj]

22. Saying that EVERYONE's calls since 2001 were recorded and stored - which is CT land -

is NOT President Obama ordering a wiretap on Trump. In fact, State Senator in Illinois Obama would likewise have been taped ... then, as he ran for Senate, as he was a Senator and running for President .... So, were you and me.


No one legit has ever confirmed this to be true -- and this guy has not been in NSA for 15 years! What was revealed was that the CALL DATA on calls - the two ends of the calls and the time and duration was what the telecos provided. (This was there BILLING information tape!)

[FSogol]

30. No it's not. Ben Carson can zap everyone's brain and then the info will be back!

[karynnj]

31. Cool, but I wonder who zapped Carson's brain!

For someone very brilliant in his field, he really has seemed beyond strange in public statements!

[Brother Buzz]

24. Weak sauce, but amusing

[titaniumsalute]

25. Another Observation

Binney references that calls made between Trump and the Australian/Mexican Presidents were leaked. How did Obama order those as he was out of office? Why wouldn't those people leak the Russian calls? I mean wouldn't it be a little more juicy to leak that rather than Australia and Mexico?

This is just fucking stupid.

[trof]

26. About Binney: Wiki

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Binney_(U.S._intelligence_official)

[Achilleaze]

33. Binney the ninney

[matt819]

28. Word of the Day - Bullshit

He's been out for 16 years. He knows shit about what's going on now, especially wrt a specific incident.

Also, the intel biz is need to know. (I know - I was in it for about a dozen years. Heck, I hardly knew what my colleagues were doing, much less what was going on elsewhere.) If he had no need to know, he didn't. And if he did have a need to know, what he knew is 16 years old. Pretty pathetic way to get 15 minutes of "fame." Loser.

Just looked at Wikipedia. He has some bones to pick. That doesn't make him any more knowledgeable about events in 2016, and clouds his overall credibility.

[red dog 1]

32. Binney told Fox Business?

What a bunch of bullshit!

[PSPS]

34. "picked up by the FAIRVIEW program"

This guy is just another fox/fruitcake charlatan.

"I think that's what happened here," Binney told Fox. "The evidence of the conversation of the president of the U.S., President Trump, and the (prime minister) of Australia and the president of Mexico. Releasing those conversations. Those are conversations that are picked up by the FAIRVIEW program, primarily, by NSA."

The recounting of these conversations came from people who were present during the calls, not by the NSA. It was reported as such in the real media.

[wishstar]

35. Does NOT back up Trump accusing Pres. Obama of underhandedly wiretapping Trump

More Fox distraction/deflection to explain Trump's irresponsible libelous outburst

[Tactical Peek]

36. 'They collect everybody's communications', therefore Obama wiretapped Trump?!?!

Fuck these idiots and the media who fluff them.

[GreydeeThos]

37. The NSA only clollects a little META data on phone calls

The NSA does not record or listen in on any domestic telephone conversations.

(You believe that - right?)

[OliverQ]

38. The sad thing is...

Trump supporters will see this on Fox and totally believe it, which further enrage them against Obama.


How do you win this fight when facts, reasoning, and reality are ignored?

[lark]

39. 15 year old information.

This is what was happening when shrub was president, does he think that Obama made no changes in 8 years? Stupid.

[Mc Mike]

40. "Ex-NSA Employee 'Thinks' the Piss Boy is Right".

There. I fixed usnew's headline for them.

[Vinca]

41. How does he know if he resigned in 2001? News flash, Bill, that was 16 years ago.

And I can only guess what this guy's age is. If he started working there after college, say 22, and spent 36 years there before quitting 16 years ago that would put him in his mid-70's at the youngest. I doubt many of the current NSA personnel are buddies with him so he's obviously picking stories out of the air.

[Squinch]

42. How long till Binney is exposed as not being who he says he is?

[cstanleytech]

43. So a person who hasnt been part of the NSA since 2001 "knows"? *sniff* *sniff* I smell bullshit. nt

[Eyeball_Kid]

44. Trumpy blames Obama. That, IMO, is the issue.

Trumpy wants to scapegoat Obama. It fits with his history. Of course it's a lie, just like the citizenship nonsense was a lie. Trumpy is essentially doing the same thing. Criticizing the Black President is always a dogwhistle win for Trumpy.

[anglesphere]

46. Was wire tapped, wasn't wire tapped

Doesn't matter. If it's a surveillance in progress the FBI can lie about its existence in public to protect the investigation.

[SunSeeker]

47. Binney left the NSA in 2001. He can't "confirm" shit.

This is utter bullshit. Shame on US News & World Report for a click bait bullshit article.

[Sunlei]

51. heres Republican fox TV, find a 2001 quitter to shit-stir the Republican lines for trump to watch.

[politicat]

52. Old man yells at clouds; children invade precious lawn.

36 year career, quit 16 years ago. Assuming he joined No Such Agency right out of college at age 22, he retired with full pension and benefits at age 58. (Born in 1943, per that logic, so either had a low draft number, evaded the draft with deferments, or is a few years older.) That's not rage-quitting, that's cashing out. He probably did some part-time consulting at 5 times his former hourly rate for a few years while he still had some relevancy, while ramping up his hate radio addiction.

Now 16 years later, he no longer has relevancy, can't get any part-time gigs, and is bored, bored, bored. It's not whistleblowing if one doesn't actually have documents. It's just bloviating.

He's on Fox because they can't get anyone more relevant to actually comment, and he appeals to their core demographic.

[The_Casual_Observer]

53. Did they also discuss Area 51 and the paranormal?

[dubyadiprecession]

54. Trump is lucky he wasn't bumped off by Obama.

Remember trump said we kill people too. I guess Barack went easy on him by just wire tapping trump tower instead.

Consider yourself luck Cheetojesus!!

[moonscape]

56. Oh terrific. T will be trotting this guy out at every opportunity. n/t