Spying?

[George K]

Link to video

[Doctor Phibes]

@george-k said in Spying?:

Here you go:

Tucker Carlson sought Putin interview at time of spying claim

Tucker Carlson was talking to U.S.-based Kremlin intermediaries about setting up an interview with Vladimir Putin shortly before the Fox News host accused the National Security Agency of spying on him, sources familiar with the conversations tell Axios.

Why it matters: Those sources said U.S. government officials learned about Carlson's efforts to secure the Putin interview. Carlson learned that the government was aware of his outreach — and that's the basis of his extraordinary accusation, followed by a rare public denial by the NSA that he had been targeted.

Axios has not confirmed whether any communications from Carlson have been intercepted, and if so, why.

So, how did Swann find out about this?

Someone at NSA leaked it to him.

And if communications were "incidentally" seen, why is Carlson's name being leaked? How did the "whistleblower" know to contact Carlson. My understanding of these intercepts by NSA is that any american is designated "Citizen #1" or something like that. His/her privacy must be maintained.

Unmasking the name of the citizen (as Obama did with the incoming Trump administration) requires some serious moves.

So, essentially they weren't spying on Carlson - they were spying on the Russians that Carlson was in contact with?

But they leaked Carlson's name.

[George K]

@doctor-phibes said in Spying?:

But they leaked Carlson's name.

Not only leaked, but unmasked. That request comes from high up.

Who did it? For what reason? What national security issue was addressed by unmasking Carlson?

There is should be a high standard for this. But, of course, that went out the window with Susan Rice and others in the waning days of the Obama administration.

[George K]

Former NSA Director Mike Rogers explained how the unmasking process works in a 2017 congressional testimony.

“Number one, you must make the request in writing. Number two, the request must be made on the basis of your official duties, not the fact that you just find this report really interesting and you’re just curious. It has to tangibly tie to your job,” and “the basis of the request must be that you need this identity to understand the intelligence you’re reading,” Rogers testified.

So, how does that work with Carlson?

[Doctor Phibes]

Presumably, being really annoying isn't considered sufficient cause.

[Loki]

It sounds really major but for some reason it isn’t. We are missing a big puzzle piece. When I see moderate GOP leaders express alarm and demand an investigation I will know this is the real deal.

Of course I think it’s awful but maybe just maybe TuCa is frothing up his base knowing that it won’t go anywhere? He knows he will soon have another shiny object?

[Copper]

This is an attack by the government on a private citizen.

As far as we know the motive is purely political.

It is a dangerous game, there will certainly be retaliation.

Maybe this is retaliation.

[George K]

@doctor-phibes said in Spying?:

Presumably, being really annoying isn't considered sufficient cause.

Yeah, assholes have rights too.

@Loki said

It sounds really major but for some reason it isn’t. We are missing a big puzzle piece.

The question is who authorized the unmasking, and to what end. You can bet Carlson's people are filing a FOIA request.

[Loki]

Let’s see where this goes. As much as I enjoy TuCa most his stuff goes nowhere.

[Doctor Phibes]

@george-k said in Spying?:

You can bet Carlson's people are filing a FOIA request.

Let's hope they're not using FedEx.

With Tucker, there always seems to be a massive scandal just over the horizon which for some mysterious reason never quite materialises.

[Jolly]

@doctor-phibes said in Spying?:

@george-k said in Spying?:

You can bet Carlson's people are filing a FOIA request.

Let's hope they're not using FedEx.

With Tucker, there always seems to be a massive scandal just over the horizon which for some mysterious reason never quite materialises.

I don't care who it is and you shouldn't, either. It's illegal. It's being done for political gain.

"nuff said.

[Larry]

@doctor-phibes said in Spying?:

Back when Dick Cheney was patriotically bugging everybody's phone we were told not to worry, everything would be fine.

Obviously, there was nothing terrifying whatsoever about Dick, Liz is far scarier.

Bull shit. Do you always talk out your ass like that?

[Doctor Phibes]

@jolly said in Spying?:

@doctor-phibes said in Spying?:

@george-k said in Spying?:

You can bet Carlson's people are filing a FOIA request.

Let's hope they're not using FedEx.

With Tucker, there always seems to be a massive scandal just over the horizon which for some mysterious reason never quite materialises.

I don't care who it is and you shouldn't, either. It's illegal. It's being done for political gain.

"nuff said.

Yeah, maybe. It hasn't really been verified what has happened.

Tucker's M.O. is to say a lot of stuff which could be happening, and everybody gets very excited, and then generally it turns out not to be that big a deal after all.

It's all about the viewers.

[Doctor Phibes]

@larry said in Spying?:

@doctor-phibes said in Spying?:

Back when Dick Cheney was patriotically bugging everybody's phone we were told not to worry, everything would be fine.

Obviously, there was nothing terrifying whatsoever about Dick, Liz is far scarier.

Bull shit. Do you always talk out your ass like that?

Only when I'm talking to Americans. I've found that it helps to converse with them in a language with which they're familiar. They're simple folk, but quite likeable.

[jon-nyc]

@jolly said in Spying?:

Needs to stop.

You mean the screaming for attention by Tucker? Or the amplification of anonymous "tips" supporting his own victimization claims?

[Jolly]

Listen, you partisan, dim-witted bastard...and that's being kind, because you deserve worse, since you are much smarter than you are portraying yourself...This is an on-going problem. Whether it's happening to Trump, Tucker, whoever. You should have enough sense to know, that the pendulum will swing and then an already weaponized NSA will be used against people and things you value.

It's wrong. It needs to stop. Now. People need to go to jail.

If you don't cut the crap tap off right now, it can and will, get worse.

[Doctor Phibes]

OK, some of them are quite likeable.

[jon-nyc]

@jolly lol

Perhaps if you were a bit less ideologically committed you’d recognize the simple fact that anyone who’s job it is to be sensational 5 days a week is going to, shall we say, cut a lot of corners.

Especially when the suits at his network admit it outright in lawsuits brought about by just such corner-cutting.

[George K]

@jon-nyc said in Spying?:

@jolly lol

Perhaps if you were a bit less ideologically committed you’d recognize the simple fact that anyone who’s job it is to be sensational 5 days a week is going to, shall we say, cut a lot of corners.

Especially when the suits at his network admit it outright in lawsuits brought about by just such corner-cutting.

Perhaps if you were a little bit less ideologically committed you's admit that the United States government probably intercepted communications of a citizen, and probably illegally revealed his identity.

TuCa might be an asshole (as I commented above), and he might be committed to sensationalism. Neither of those points abrogate his rights as a citizen. His right to privacy is absolute.

Why can't you see that?

Let's play a thought experiment....

JonCYN contacts a Russian citizen for the purpose of getting an interview with a Russian government official.

NSA intercepts his communications. Then, a whistleblower in NSA communicates to JonCYN that NSA has his messages, and quotes them to JonCYN, proving that they know that "Citizen #1" is, indeed, JonCYN.

Put aside the alleged motivations for such unmasking - they are irrelevant, as far as I'm concerned.

You're OK with that process?

[Loki]

I wouldn’t.

But I also can’t imagine other reporters wouldn’t pick up on the story even it was TuCa.

It is quite the allegation so it does deserve to be heard.