Senate panel looks into NSA eavesdropping report

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.10.2008 WASHINGTON — The Senate Intelligence Committee is examining allegations by two former U.S. military linguists that the supersecret National Security Agency routinely eavesdropped on the private telephone calls of American military officers, journalists and aid workers. NSA interceptors purportedly shared some intercepts of highly personal conversations, including "phone sex." If the allegations are true, they could reignite a political firestorm over the administration's post-Sept. 11 eavesdropping operations and its efforts to collect vast quantities of data about Americans' tax, medical and travel records; credit-card purchases; e-mails and other information. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., called the allegations "extremely disturbing." He said the... [read full story]