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07.11.2013 1

Did the NSA Chief lie about the agency’s ability to spy on Americans

By Albert Maslar

Recently, Bill O’Reilly on his TV program showed part of a Congressional interrogation of Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) General Keith Alexander, who was asked if the government has the ability to tap into phone calls, and e-mails. Alexander told Congress that Snowden’s claim that he could tap into any phone call or email is “false.”

Judge Napolitano attacked General Alexander’s response to a question posed by Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan, Republican chairman of the Intelligence Committee who asked whether the NSA had the “ability to listen to Americans’ phone calls or read their emails under these two programs,” but Alexander answered a different issue, “No, we do not have that authority.”

The General’s answer was the equivalent of a resounding “no”…Alexander said “The NSA does not have the authority to listen to phone calls of U.S. citizens or read their e-mails under the two surveillance programs.”

It does not have that authority, still implying that NSA does have that ability.

Senator Susan Collins commented and then questioned Alexander; “I saw an interview in which Mr. Snowden claimed that due to his position at NSA he could tap into virtually any American’s phone call or e-mails…“True or false?” The NSA Director answered; “False. I know of no way to do that.”

What a spin, answering the question differently than previous and not being challenged. Was he lying? On the other hand, instances were cited wherein some fifty-terror plots were foiled because of the surveillance, proving the NSA can and does listen to specific conversations.

 

Elsewhere, Congress is investigating whether or not U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder committed perjury, or lied under oath, when he told a congressional committee that he had not heard of or been involved in the “potential prosecution” of reporters. Holder approved an FBI operation that identified Fox News reporter James Rosen as a probable co-conspirator in a case of leaked classified information.

Defenders claim Holder did not commit perjury because he never intended to prosecute Rosen. If this is true, it is still a lie as the search warrant was issued by the judge on false pretense by Holder for an action Holder approved with his signature, but misinformed the judge when the warrant stated that there is “probable cause” to believe that Rosen violated the Espionage Act.

The ability to lie to Congress must be a primary requisite for jobs in the Obama administration. The bigger and bolder the lie, apparently the higher position that person qualifies for, and that applies no less than to the President himself. It seems everyone in Obama’s administration from Attorney General Eric Holder on down lies when testifying before Congress.

No one goes to jail except Martha Stewart who sold her stock a day earlier than critical information was disclosed to the public and spent six months in prison garb. Evidently that is more egregious than lying about national security, massive warrantless spying on American citizens, and gunrunning Fast and Furious that indiscriminately handed more than 2,000 guns to Mexican drug cartels, resulting in the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.

With such overreach, it has gotten to the point that if Obama and his liberal base want something, the best resort is to be a loving, caring, tough-love, American, constitutional citizen and like Nancy Reagan once said about drugs, “just say no.”

Along with other abuses, these admissions have been made to Congressional leaders that the government is actively spying in the U.S. itself, though the purposes have not been disclosed. Everybody is watching and recording as government watches and records everything. The question is why. To what end?

It is probably better to put a stop to it before the American people find out. The prospect of these powers being turned on the American people is a terrifying prospect.

Albert Maslar is a contributing writer to the Liberty Features Syndicate.

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