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US Spy Chief Reverses Course, Will Not Say How Many Americans Caught in NSA Surveillance (zdnet.com)

Zack Whittaker, writing for ZDNet: US Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats has refused to say how many Americans have been caught up in the government's surveillance programs, reversing a confirmation pledge he made earlier this year. Coats said at a hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee on the reauthorization of a key foreign surveillance law that it is "infeasible" to provide an estimate of how many Americans' communications have been collected by the National Security Agency. It's a key question that has been raised by senior lawmakers on several occasions of both the Obama and Trump administrations.

5 of 146 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Impeachment by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Outsider looking in, ever consider that the following can all be true?

    1) The russians worked their asses off to see trump elected

    2) the trump campaign wasn't actively colluding with them

    3) trumps actions given the situation are reason enough to despise him and potentially look to impeachment?

    just saying, at this point the actuality of collusion isn't necessary to prove the fellow unfit to be president.

  2. Re:Impeachment by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Just FYI: The last time a president was impeached for no good reason other than that the opposing party really, REALLY hated his guts, he came out of it acquitted and with a 70% approval rating. I'm sure it's all on youtube somewhere - or at least the cspan website - if you'd like to go remind yourself what a sad, pointless shitshow that whole process was.

    Keep it up though. Blowing your impeachment wad on some trivial bullshit like this essentially gives Trump an automatic pass for any small-to-medium-sized scandal for the rest of his term. Not to mention it's just plain hilarious to watch you get your hopes up over and over and over. I would've thought after "His ceiling is 25%" or "The delegates will all defect to Rubio" or "Hillary has a 99% chance to win" or "The recounts will flip Wisconsin and Pennsylvania" or "40 Trump electors will switch to Hillary" or... you'd have learned, but hope springs eternal I guess.

  3. Re:Impeachment by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    Gleefully taking advantage of unsolicited help from Russia (allegedly) isn't criminal any more than picking up a $20 bill laying on the sidewalk is robbery.

    And it's not "treason" because working to undermine the DNC is completely different than working to undermine the country. Some would say they're complete opposites, in fact.

  4. IE: All of them by grasshoppa · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's infeasible not because it's technically challenging or anything. No, it's because they don't want to deal with the PR fall out.

    Not that anyone would care.

    --
    Mod me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!
  5. Re: Impeachment by Entrope · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Legally, the crime of robbery has three elements: the robber takes money or goods from the victim, in the victim's presence, by force or intimidation. Picking up a lost $20 off the sidewalk lacks two of those elements.

    So who's not very good at this?