Ex-official warned against testifying on
NSA programs
Washington Times
By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
January 12, 2006
The National Security Agency has warned a former intelligence officer that
he should not testify to Congress about accusations of illegal activity at NSA
because of the secrecy of the programs involved.
Renee Seymour, director of NSA special access programs stated in a Jan. 9
letter to Russ Tice that he should not testify about secret electronic
intelligence programs because members and staff of the House and Senate
intelligence committees do not have the proper security clearances for the
secret intelligence
Miss Seymour stated that Mr. Tice has "every right" to speak to Congress and
that NSA has "no intent to infringe your rights."
However, she stated that the programs Mr. Tice took part in were so secret
that "neither the staff nor the members of the [House intelligence committee]
or [Senate intelligence committee] are cleared to receive the information
covered by the special access programs, or SAPs."
"The SAPs to which you refer are controlled by the Department of Defense
(DoD) and ... neither the staffs nor the members ... are cleared to receive the
intelligence covered by the SAPs," Miss Seymour stated
Special access programs are the most sensitive U.S. intelligence and weapons
programs and are exempt from many oversight mechanisms used to check other
intelligence agencies
Miss Seymour also said that Mr. Tice, who was dismissed in May, failed to
notify either the Pentagon or NSA of the improper behavior that he is
charging
As a result, she stated that Mr. Tice must first give statements to the
Defense Department and NSA inspectors general before he provides any classified
information to Congress from the SAPs
Miss Seymour also said Mr. Tice must first "obtain and follow direction"
from Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, through the inspectors general on
the proper procedures for contacting the congressional oversight committees
Mr. Tice said he was not part of the classified NSA program disclosed by the
New York Times last month that intercepted telephone, e-mail and other
communications involving U.S. citizens without a warrant from a special
court
However, he told ABC News on Tuesday that he was a source for the New York
Times
"As far as I'm concerned, as long as I don't say anything that's classified,
I'm not worried," he said. "We need to clean up the intelligence community.
We've had abuses, and they need to be addressed."
Mr. Tice last month asked to testify to the House and Senate intelligence
oversight panels regarding what he called "probable unlawful and
unconstitutional acts" that occurred while he was a technical intelligence
specialist with NSA and the Defense Intelligence Agency
He provided no details of the programs
However, Mr. Tice worked on special access programs related to electronic
intelligence gathering while working for the NSA and DIA, where he took part in
space systems communications, non-communications signals, electronic warfare,
satellite control, telemetry, sensors, and special capability systems.
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