Pre 9/11 warrantless domestic wiretapping

ooooo... i'm shocked, SHOCKED, i tell you...!

In a separate N.S.A. project, executives at a Denver phone carrier, Qwest, refused in early 2001 to give the agency access to their most localized communications switches, which primarily carry domestic calls, according to people aware of the request, which has not been previously reported. They say the arrangement could have permitted neighborhood-by-neighborhood surveillance of phone traffic without a court order, which alarmed them.

[...]

“What he [a former engineer ... who spoke on the condition of anonymity], saw,” said Bruce Afran, a New Jersey lawyer representing the plaintiffs along with Carl Mayer, “was decisive evidence that within two weeks of taking office, the Bush administration was planning a comprehensive effort of spying on Americans’ phone usage.”

really...? REALLY...? damn... what a bunch of sneaky guys...

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