Spy Agency Sought U.S. Call Records Before 9/11, Lawyers Say

[havocmom]

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=abIV0cO64zJE&refer=#

The NSA initiative, code-named ``Pioneer Groundbreaker,'' asked AT&T unit AT&T Solutions to build exclusively for NSA use a network operations center which duplicated AT&T's Bedminster, New Jersey facility, the court papers claimed. That plan was abandoned in favor of the NSA acquiring the monitoring technology itself, plaintiffs' lawyers Bruce Afran said.

The NSA says on its Web site that in June 2000, the agency was seeking bids for a project to ``modernize and improve its information technology infrastructure.'' The plan, which included the privatization of its ``non-mission related'' systems support, was said to be part of Project Groundbreaker.

Mayer said the Pioneer project is ``a different component'' of that initiative.

Mayer and Afran said an unnamed former employee of the AT&T unit provided them with evidence that the NSA approached the carrier with the proposed plan. Afran said he has seen the worker's log book and independently confirmed the source's participation in the project. He declined to identify the employee.

Heads up on this one and comments on http://americablog.blogspot.com/


NSA looking for bids before the Nov 2000 election... Hmm, do ya think they were pretty sure the fix would be in and they would get to run amok under bush/Cheney?

[DianaForRussFeingold]

1. They knew they had to prepare for 911! and and a

They needed a plan for after 911. :sarcasm:

[havocmom]

2. yeppers. they had the plan, they just needed 9-11 for an excuse

and beard