Bill Gertz brings a disgruntled former NSA/DIA agent out of his past to try and give support to the NY Times criminal leakage of classified information. The so- called ace in the hole for this story is a Paranoid lunatic named Russ Tice. By Mr. Tice's own admission he never even worked on the program that the NY Times has leaked classified information about. Seems not to send up any flags at either the NY or DC Times offices.
Mr. Gertz also doesn't mention that Mr. Tice has been trying to create a scandal for the NSA after being fired for failing psych evaluations. Apparently Mr. Tice had an infatuation with a female Chinese co-worker whom he accused of being a spy when he worked for the DIA. He then, after transferring to the NSA, continued his e-mails insinuating that this woman had to be a spy. He stated his proof that he was correct, and that the investigation that cleared the poor woman was wrong, was when a totally unrelated incident came to life about a different Chinese woman that was a double agent who had compromised two FBI agents. Mr. Tice apparently freaked and swore that there was the proof that his accusations against a totally different woman had to be correct because the FBI was incompetent with this other woman's case. Here are links to the stories that Mr. Gertz did on Mr. Tice over the years, Feb 20 2005 Oct 21 2004 So now Mr. Gertz gives this looney a platform that he has been trying to get because he feels whistleblowers are punished at the NSA.
I guess all this, by bringing up disgruntled psychos with delusions of whistleblower persecutions, is supposed to what? It's supposed to convince us that the NSA punishes legitimate whistleblowers if they go through proper channels and therefore it justifies leaking classified information directly to the press. I can think of no other reason to even trot out a lunatic with a totally unrelated case.
Well I ain't buying it. Billy Boy...
Any way here is todays story by Mr. Gertz for a good laugh...
NSA whistleblower asks to testify
By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
January 5, 2006
A former National Security Agency official wants to tell Congress about electronic intelligence programs that he asserts were carried out illegally by the NSA and the Defense Intelligence Agency. Russ Tice, a whistleblower who was dismissed from the NSA last year, stated in letters to the House and Senate intelligence committees that he is prepared to testify about highly classified Special Access Programs, or SAPs, that were improperly carried out by both the NSA and the DIA. "I intend to report to Congress probable unlawful and unconstitutional acts conducted while I was an intelligence officer with the National Security Agency and with the Defense Intelligence Agency," Mr. Tice stated in the Dec. 16 letters, copies of which were obtained by The Washington Times. The letters were sent the same day that the New York Times revealed that the NSA was engaged in a clandestine eavesdropping program that bypassed the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court. The FISA court issues orders for targeted electronic and other surveillance by the government. President Bush said Sunday that the NSA spying is "a necessary program" aimed at finding international terrorists by tracking phone numbers linked to al Qaeda. Mr. Bush said during a visit to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio that al Qaeda is "making phone calls, [and] it makes sense to find out why." Critics of the eavesdropping program, which gathered and sifted through large amounts of telephone and e-mail to search for clues to terrorists' communications, say the activities might have been illegal because they were carried out without obtaining a FISA court order. The Justice Department has said the program is legal under presidential powers authorized by Congress in 2001. Mr. Tice said yesterday that he was not part of the intercept program. In his Dec. 16 letter, Mr. Tice wrote that his testimony would be given under the provisions of the 1998 Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act, which makes it legal for intelligence officials to disclose wrongdoing without being punished. The activities involved the NSA director, the NSA deputies chief of staff for air and space operations and the secretary of defense, he stated. "These ... acts were conducted via very highly sensitive intelligence programs and operations known as Special Access Programs," Mr. Tice said. The letters were sent to Sen. Pat Roberts, Kansas Republican, and Rep. Peter Hoekstra, Michigan Republican. Mr. Roberts is chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Mr. Hoekstra is chairman of the House counterpart. Spokesmen for the NSA and the Senate intelligence committee declined to comment. Spokesmen for the House intelligence committee and the DIA said they were aware of Mr. Tice's letters, but had not seen formal copies of them.
UPDATE: Just a little information regarding Intel Agency Employess and Whistle Blowing...
here is some Senate debate from 1998 explaining that intelligence community whistleblowers are not covered by normal whistleblower protections laws.
Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support the passage of S. 1668, the Disclosure to Congress Act of 1998.
This legislation directs the President to inform employees of the intelligence community that they may disclose information, including classified information, to an appropriate oversight committee of Congress when that information is evidence of misconduct, fraud, or gross mismanagement.
The committee is hopeful that this legislation will also encourage employees within the intelligence community to bring such information to an appropriate committee of Congress rather than unlawfully disclosing such information to the media, as happens from time to time.
It is imperative that individuals with sensitive or classified information about misconduct within the executive branch have a `safe harbor' for disclosure where they know the information will be properly safeguarded and thoroughly investigated.
Further, employees within the intelligence community must know that they may seek shelter in that `safe harbor' without fear of retribution.
It is not generally known that the Whistle Blower Protection Act does not cover employees of the agencies within the intelligence community.
The whistle blower statute also expressly proscribes the disclosure of information that is specifically required by Executive order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or the conduct of foreign affairs.
In other words, classified information is not covered by the current whistle blower statute.
Therefore, employees within the intelligence community are not protected from adverse personnel actions if they choose to disclose such information to Congress.
In fact, an employee who discloses classified information to Congress without prior approval is specifically subject to sanctions which may include reprimand, termination of a security clearance, suspension without pay, or removal.
As I follow the trail, it appears that S.1668 became S.2052 and was eventually enacted as HR. 3694.
update info stolen from:Just one minute
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