Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court issues classified ruling finding NSA’s warrantless surveillance programs violated the Fourth Amendment and FISA statute on a systematic basis. The court documented that intelligence agencies had misled judges about the scope and nature of surveillance …
FISA CourtNSADepartment of JusticeMichael HaydenKeith Alexander+1 morefisa-court-rulingconstitutional-violationnsa-surveillancewarrantless-surveillancefourth-amendment
NSA senior executive Thomas Drake reports to DOD Inspector General massive waste in the $1.2 billion Trailblazer surveillance program and systematic constitutional violations. Drake documented how NSA chose expensive, ineffective contractor solutions over proven internal alternatives while expanding …
Thomas DrakeNSADOD Inspector GeneralTrailblazer ProgramSAIC+2 morensa-whistleblowingtrailblazer-scandalcontractor-corruptionsurveillance-wasteconstitutional-violation
President Bush nominates Air Force General Michael Hayden as CIA Director despite his role in implementing illegal NSA warrantless surveillance programs. Hayden’s appointment represented unprecedented militarization of CIA leadership and sparked Senate concerns about further politicization of …
Michael HaydenGeorge W. BushSenate Intelligence CommitteeNSACIA+1 morecia-militarizationhayden-appointmentsurveillance-expansionintelligence-politicizationconstitutional-violation
NSA intelligence analyst Russell Tice contacts the Senate Intelligence Committee and journalists to report illegal domestic surveillance programs targeting American citizens without warrants. Tice revealed that NSA was conducting mass surveillance of Americans’ communications under programs …
Russell TiceNSASenate Intelligence CommitteeJames RisenNew York Times+1 morensa-whistleblowingillegal-surveillanceconstitutional-violationwarrantless-surveillancemass-surveillance
During the Bush administration, AT&T began extensive collaboration with the NSA, involving the installation of surveillance infrastructure across multiple internet hubs. While the precise $500 million contract could not be fully verified, documents confirm significant financial investments in …
George W. BushMichael HaydenAT&T LeadershipNSA Officialsnsaattsurveillancebush-administrationintelligence-infrastructure+2 more
The NSA began operating MAINWAY, a massive database system built to support the STELLARWIND surveillance program, collecting telephone metadata from major U.S. carriers including AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Built in urgent haste after September 11, MAINWAY became what sources described as …
NSAAT&TVerizonT-MobileFBI+2 moremainwaymetadata-collectionmass-surveillancestellarwindtelecommunications+2 more
President George W. Bush signed a secret executive order authorizing the National Security Agency (NSA) to conduct warrantless surveillance of American citizens’ communications, codenamed ‘Stellar Wind’. This program systematically bypassed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance …
George W. BushMichael HaydenNSAAlberto GonzalesJack Goldsmith+1 morepermanent-constitutional-transformationconstitutional-bypass-mechanismssystematic-accountability-destructionstellar-windexecutive-immunity-infrastructure+6 more
President Bush signed presidential authorization for warrantless surveillance program bypassing FISA courts on October 4, 2001. Created by Dick Cheney, the NSA STELLARWIND program was classified as ’exceptionally controlled information’ and collected phone and internet metadata on …
George W. BushDick CheneyNSAMichael Haydennsa-surveillancewarrantless-wiretappingstellarwindfourth-amendmentfisa
President George W. Bush authorized the NSA’s Stellar Wind warrantless domestic surveillance program, completely bypassing FISA court oversight in a fundamental alteration of constitutional checks and balances. The program allowed the NSA to collect phone metadata and internet communications …
George W. BushMichael HaydenNSADick CheneyDavid Addington+3 moresurveillancensastellar-windfisa-bypassconstitutional-crisis+3 more