Newsweek: The Fed Who Blew the Whistle-Is he a hero or a criminal?

[kpete]

The Fed Who Blew the Whistle

Is he a hero or a criminal?
Michael Isikoff
NEWSWEEK
From the magazine issue dated Dec 22, 2008

Thomas M. Tamm was entrusted with some of the government's most important secrets. He had a Sensitive Compartmented Information security clearance, a level above Top Secret. Government agents had probed Tamm's background, his friends and associates, and determined him trustworthy.

It's easy to see why: he comes from a family of high-ranking FBI officials. During his childhood, he played under the desk of J. Edgar Hoover, and as an adult, he enjoyed a long and successful career as a prosecutor. Now gray-haired, 56 and fighting a paunch, Tamm prides himself on his personal rectitude. He has what his 23-year-old son, Terry, calls a "passion for justice." For that reason, there was one secret he says he felt duty-bound to reveal.

In the spring of 2004, Tamm had just finished a yearlong stint at a Justice Department unit handling wiretaps of suspected terrorists and spies—a unit so sensitive that employees are required to put their hands through a biometric scanner to check their fingerprints upon entering. While there, Tamm stumbled upon the existence of a highly classified National Security Agency program that seemed to be eavesdropping on U.S. citizens. The unit had special rules that appeared to be hiding the NSA activities from a panel of federal judges who are required to approve such surveillance. When Tamm started asking questions, his supervisors told him to drop the subject. He says one volunteered that "the program" (as it was commonly called within the office) was "probably illegal."

Tamm agonized over what to do. He tried to raise the issue with a former colleague working for the Senate Judiciary Committee. But the friend, wary of discussing what sounded like government secrets, shut down their conversation. For weeks, Tamm couldn't sleep. The idea of lawlessness at the Justice Department angered him. Finally, one day during his lunch hour, Tamm ducked into a subway station near the U.S. District Courthouse on Pennsylvania Avenue. He headed for a pair of adjoining pay phones partially concealed by large, illuminated Metro maps. Tamm had been eyeing the phone booths on his way to work in the morning. Now, as he slipped through the parade of midday subway riders, his heart was pounding, his body trembling. Tamm felt like a spy. After looking around to make sure nobody was watching, he picked up a phone and called The New York Times.

more at:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/174601

[Vincardog]

1. The Fed Who Blew the Whistle Is a hero

[wildbilln864]

2. hero! nt

[JDPriestly]

3. Amazing story. This explains so many mysteries.

Now, let's see how threats of prosecution are followed up here and compare that to the way they were followed up in the Plame case. Two possible allegations of national security breaches, one -- the Plame outing -- outing a vital and legally authroized program, the other -- the wiretaps -- outing and illegal program OK's illegally by GWB.

Lets' see how this goes. We know that the Plame outing was never prosecuted. Let's hope that Tamm's courage in outing the wiretapping program makes him a national hero.

Thank you Mr. Tamm.

[alfredo]

4. If the government turns against the people, then it is the duty of

those who know to speak out. He's not a hero, he's just doing what a good citizen does.

[peacetalksforall]

5. Hero. The war on terror is a sham cover-up for taking oil, imperialism of a region for

their earth resources and to have free reign for military rule (called defense, but not really).

I consider my vote and my privacy my heritage. My ancestors didn't work their bodies and suffer wild and (hopefully) woolly existence to have these thieves take away our Constitution and stomp on the rule of law.

k % r

P.S. Did you notice the milquetoast approach by Newsweek. Bending the seriousness to continue to protect Bush, Cheney, Gonzales, Ashcroft and all the others.

[Jack Sprat]

6. Bush Admin wanted no whistle-blowers at all.

As far as I know, this was the only administration to suppress government whistle blowers. This administration (Bush) was the first for a lot of stuff. I guess it's all right to break the laws if you are Republican and your base is all sheep and your party controls Congress for 6 years and your VP thinks his power extends beyond the Executive Branch and you appoint an AG who thinks the Justice Dept should be an instrument of his appointee's power.

[4 t 4]

7. Hero n/t