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The New York Times reported that the NSA improperly wiretapped a member of Congress who was "part of a Congressional delegation to the Middle East in 2005 or 2006." Greg Sargent wants to know who it was. Don’t we all. To the Googling stations!
My first guess was Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), who visited the West Bank in January 2006. But why stop there? In March 2005, a so-called CODEL travelled to Iraq, Jordan, Israel Lebanon and Egypt. On the trip were Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Darrel Issa (R- Calif.), George Miller (D-Calif.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), James McGovern (D- Mass.), and Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.).
Those weren’t the only ones. Another March 2005 CODEL featured members taking a survey of Mideast democratization efforts. On that trip: Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.), Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.), Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.), Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R-Fla.), and then-Rep. E. Clay Shaw (R-Fla.). They went to the Palestinian territories, Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Cyprus and two other countries I didn’t immediately identify.
Let’s continue. January 2006: a congressional delegation goes to the Europe, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Middle East enough? That one had then-Rep. Jon Porter (R-Nev), Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Rep. Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam), Rep. Dave Weldon (R-FL), Rep. Melissa Hart (R-PA), Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN), Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) and Rep. Kenny Hulshof (R-MO).
Then there was a December 2006 senatorial CODEL to Iraq, Israel, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Sens. John Thune (R-SD), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) brought back photos.
So that’s 27 members of Congress who could have been illegally surveilled by the NSA. I’m sure I’m missing some CODELs, so point them out in comments if you see them. But the broader point is that there’s no obvious reason at the moment why any of these members’ trips couldn’t have put them in contact with "persons of interest" to the National Security Agency and the Bush administration, thereby making them prima facie targets of a wideranging surveillance program.
Crossposted to The Streak.
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It was Darrell Issa. Not even a contest. It had to be and could only have been him. Wikipedia:
My money’s on a dem, Waxman.
This is the cockroach on the kitchen counter: there are a million more hiding in the walls. There wasn’t merely ONE member of Congress ”accidentally” wiretapped — EVERY Democratic or Independent member of Congress was probably wiretapped. And worse, every member of Congress COULD have been tapped, so whether or not we know that any particular Congressperson WAS wiretapped, we have to assume that they have been.
This is what happens when trust breaks down: now everyone has to be on guard against each other. THIS is why a Democracy relies on the Rule of Law, and why a authoritarian state HATES the Rule of Law. Because once some people (”Rove”) become ’immune’ to Law, then everybody has to suspect each other.
We really need investigations and prosecutions of the Bush Administration, and we need to START by sending Congressional Guards to arrest Rush Limbaugh wherever he is skulking. Pull the bastard out of his chair in front of the cameras at Fox News, if that’s what it takes…
I’m tired: change ”Rush Limbaugh” to ”Karl Rove” in that last sentence.
Not that I’d mind seeing Rush arrested, but as far as I know he hasn’t ignored Congressional subpoenas yet…
I say the NSA was listening to Michelle Bachmann as though she were the Jerky Boys come to life.
-G
please, like they don’t have a file by now on all of them
If it was a dem, would they have gotten a conscience and decided it was wrong to illegally wiretap a member of Congress?
I dunno. It may have been an R.
Know what went through my mind? Recent article about Rove getting intoa fight (an argument really; not a fistfight) with a staffer of my former (thank god) rep, tom feeney. Rove told the guy “I’ve got a file on him [Feeney]!” Now Feeney isn’t names as one of the 27, but I was wondering how much of this stuff made it into Rove’s files? am I being too suspicious here?
No, you’re a good student of history. Hoover kept files on everyone too. Surveillance isn’t just for the FBI anymore!
BTW, that’s a great intimidation line:
I’ve got a file on you.
Rove has rewritten the political science textbooks and has special sections wherever Machiavelli is mentioned. Theory: Machiavelli Practice: Rove
Rove had files. Cheney had files. Blackmail was how things got done. Republicans voted in lockstep. Blue Dog Dems voted along with them. Real Dems voted out of fear of being labelled soft on terra, soft on defense.
I think I’ve narrowed it to three
I think it’s conyers, pelosi or leahy
I think it’s definately not russ, not kucinich
it could possibly be a republican who was leaning toward the left on a few issues
Many Democrats used their fear of being labelled soft on terra to vote the way they wanted to vote anyway. FISA and telco immunity provide an excellent example. Democrats voted for telco immunity and the continued anti-constitutional patriot act measures to please their corporate owners.
The R party is totally corrupt. The D Party is half corrupt.
yeah. I mean there was nobody more reliable for them than Feeney. if Rove had a file on him; he must’ve had entire libraries on our people.
The guess I heard was Weldon… he’s been involved in some sketchy arms-deal type stuff in the past.
here’s the link to that story about rove and the file on feeney if anyone is interested.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/…..Staff.html
Please, please let it be Lieberman.
What’s interesting about Rove having a file on Feeney, IMO, is that Rove needed dirt to destroy Feeney if Feeney ever decided to talk about the electronic vote stealing. Why am I thinking about the guy who died in the small plane crash who was threatened by Rove? Don’t think they’re connected, but for some reason I associate the two…
All of them….I’ll bet they tapped all of them…and probably still are, including the President.
Bushco never sleeps and operates on the darksyde….that’s why W or Jeb will soon be King of Texas when it goes feral.
Each and every one of us.
What else could be in those files? Videos? DC Madam feeding the VP with some juicy web cam tapes that you wouldn’t want the wife and kids to watch instead of Saturday morning cartoons.
Coming soon Nuremburg 2.0 to a country near and dear. As they like to say ,”bring it on!”
It was probably Jello Jay Rockefeller that was tapped. There was talk last yr that he actually knew they had either listened in on him or had tried. I don’t remember him going overseas but it might bear looking into.
Very interesting. Especially the part about the Bushies not being in office without the help of Feeney. Vote stealing.
Suzanne Kosmas is a friend of a friend. Though she knows my name and face, she is a close friend of a long time business assoc. I passed along Taibbi’s excellent Rolling Stone article on the financial meltdown.
I do hope it makes an impression.
Feeney was a horrible Republican. One of the very worst. Good to see the nauseating Ric Keller kicked to the curb too.
Keller’s replacement, Grayson is a real firebrand. I’m afraid that Kosmas is a bit of a milquetoast. She needs lots of progressive guidance and inspiration.
Oh, I vaguely remember something about Jello being tapped–at least I think it was him?!?
707!
I’m with those upthread who voted either Issa (and remember, as a member of HPSCI, he’s got clearance for intell), or Waxman.
That is a different Weldon. The one you’re referring to is Curt Weldon (R-Pa). That was my initial thought upon reading the article. He took a trip to Iraq to go stomping around the desert himself to find the WMD’s that someone told him were there. Supposedly, his source knew the exact location of the WMD’s, so Weldon was going to take a shovel and find them. Lots of funny business with this guy.
Issa’s office is in Vista.
Know her? I’m so glad I don’t have him as my rep anymore. I had the same impression of her and just figured “she’s better than feeney.” Not a ringing endorsement, but……. But she made me happy with her support of EFCA. Surprised me. She’s a co-sponsor. Feeney,as you know, was the speaker of the state house and got himself a gerrymandered district. I was glad to see him lose it. Grayson is in teh next district to mine. Pretty impressive background and impressive first few months. keller was a zero.
I think the NSA has a file on all of them, and probably taps them on a regular basis here and abroad. That knowledge is probably not for general consumption, but I can’t believe Cheney would let an opportunity like this languish.
Jane has a spanking new post up: “Teabaggers Get a Load of What a True Populist Phenomenon Looks Like: Susan Boyle”
Congressman Jim McDermott? Didn’t he go to Iraq?
McGovern’s got the kind of name to fool the bunglers at NSA into trying to tap without a warrant.
Oh, and fine reporting, Spencer.
My bet is Rep. Henry Waxman.
The one you’re referring to is Curt Weldon (R-Pa). That was my initial thought upon reading the article. +1
Thank you
Oh hardly.
They wouldn’t be interested in tapping any pro-Israeli supporter/poodle. The only big dog with any power worth watching and listening to, and that doesn’t kow tow to AIPAC or the Right or the Moderates – is Nancy Pelosi.
shouldn’t Issa be legally surveilled? I mean as part of a hypothetical corruption investigation ;-P
Maybe we could arbitrarily imprison the Dominican Republican as an example of what the new face of authoritarianism might look like (if it is allowed to continue)? Put some fear in these Thuglicans?
With Feeney, it needn’t be an illegal wiretap. I remember his boyhood back in Pennsylvania. If Rove could get someone to disclose juvie files, I wouldn’t be surprised at what they might show.