Washington Post – by BRIAN FUNG
“Has the NSA spied, or is the NSA currently spying, on members of Congress or other elected officials?”
That’s the question Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) put to the National Security Agency’s chief in a bluntly worded letter Friday. It seems, however, that the agency cannot categorically say no.
Sanders didn’t use the word “spy” lightly. He was careful to define his terms, indicating he meant the collection of phone records from personal as well as official telephones, “content from Web sites visited or e-mails sent,” and data that companies collect but don’t release to the public.
When asked by The Washington Post, an NSA spokesman said that the agency’s privacy safeguards are effective at covering all Americans.
“Members of Congress have the same privacy protections as all U.S. persons,” the spokesman said. “We are reviewing Sen. Sanders’s letter now, and we will continue to work to ensure that all members of Congress, including Sen. Sanders, have information about NSA’s mission, authorities, and programs to fully inform the discharge of their duties.”
The answer is telling. We already know that the NSA collects records on virtually every phone call made in the United States. That program was renewed for the 36th time on Friday. If members of Congress are treated no differently than other Americans, then the NSA likely keeps tabs on every call they make as well.
It’s a relief to know that Congress doesn’t get a special carve-out (they’re just like us!). But the egalitarianism of it all will likely be of little comfort to Sanders.
Brian Fung covers technology for The Washington Post, focusing on electronic privacy, national security, digital politics and the Internet that binds it all together. He was previously the technology correspondent for National Journal and an associate editor at the Atlantic. His writing has also appeared in Foreign Policy, Talking Points Memo, the American Prospect and Nonprofit Quarterly.
The dumb bastards should have lied like the rest of the Gov does. Now they are going to be legislated against by the lame Congress, morons.
Funny thing is…they spy more on goverment employees then us!! Im so “F”ing boring cant believe theyd waste their time on me…and ya get how long it would take for the nsa to listen to just 1 million 10minute phone calls?? and there are more then a billion a day…5,000 nsa’ers would take 1.3 days to just listen to the 10,000,000 minutes from 1 million 10min phone calls…Can we say information overload???
Simple question . . .
Where was Sanders (a politician) when it was exposed the NSA was spying left and right on us mere plebes?
Only when it affected the pols – well now – the pols feel dissed. And Sanders needs some press time.
His very posture tells on – had the “spying” not included the privileged class called “Congress” – he would not have uttered a word.
He’s but yet another empty suit.
Polls/voting….all an illusstion!!! We are way past blaming just one person…And what will history say about these people??? Yeah, and you in the NSA, reading this??? Think about your place in history!! Which side do you want to end up on??
I don’t believe this. I think this is being reported to help Americans accept their every word being monitored by showing us that not even congress is immune from the spying.
All congress would have to do is cut off the NSA’s allowance, but they’re going to acquiesce to this in the hope that we all will.
This whole story is a propaganda stunt.
Congress job is real over-site of all government. They sit on committees to perform oversight. For decades they have failed to perform real over-site. Now they are realizing their failures are coming back to bite them big time. If Congress really cares about the constitution they will, cut NSA funding and dismantle the NSA as soon as possible for the good of the world.