Washington Times: FBI Whistleblower Knows of NSA Wiretapping Misconduct

Posted on November 13, 2008 by Marshall Chriswell

According to a report in today's Washington Times, a leading FBI whistleblower has direct knowledge that illegal activities occurred in the highly controversial and top secret National Security Agency's domestic surveillance program. The whistleblower, Supervisory Special Agent Bassem Youssef, is the highest ranking Arab American agent employed in the FBI's counterterrorism division. His earlier concerns, that top FBI terrorism managers lacked expertise and experience in terrorism matters, were documented in a highly controversial deposition in which the former head of the FBI's Middle Eastern counterterrorism program testified that he did not know the difference between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. 
 

Below is a January 2008 video of Bassem Youssef  and his attorney Stephen Kohn discussing FBI procedures and civil liberties issues at the American Library Association's National Winter Conference.

 

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FBI Whistleblower Set to Speak at National Conference

Posted on December 28, 2007 by Marshall Chriswell

youssef/freehBassem Youssef, a Supervisory Special Agent with the FBI, will be speaking at the American Library Association (ALA) conference in Philadelphia on Saturday, January 12th. Mr. Youssef (pictured at right with former FBI director Louis Freeh) is a whistleblower who exposed major shortcomings in the Bureau's conterterrorism efforts, including the fact that top counterterrorism officials have no knowledge of even the most elementary details regarding the Muslim religion or terrorist ideology (See Jon Stewart's hilarious "Daily Show" segment, featuring information from Mr. Youssef's case).

Mr. Youssef is slated to address the ALA about the FBI's use of "National Security Letters" to obtain phone records of Americans without a warrant. The NSL debacle was reported in the Washington Post earlier this year. Mr. Youssef will also speak about his experiences as a whistleblower.

The ALA has long been a champion for civil liberties, privacy and intellectual freedom.

  • The presentation will be videorecorded, and we will post the video as soon as it becomes available.
  • See more detailed information about Mr. Youssef's case at the National Whistleblower Center's "Inside the FBI's Counterterrorism Division" webpage.

 

 

 

 

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