NSA Whistleblower: NSA Is a Corrupt, Broken Institution

NSA has come under intense scrutiny because of Edward Snowdens disclosures about their spying on all Americans. But there are more problems at NSA than their violation of the fourth amendment protections of the constitution. 

NSA is one of a number of spy agencies which do not have to be subjected to audits. That makes them extremely vulnerable to corruption. Whistleblower and former high level NSA 30 year employee William Binney says that NSA is an incredibly corrupt, broken institution and described how the corruption in the system works. 

In an interview on the Rob Kall Bottom Up Radio Show (WNJC 1360 AM, reaching Metro Philly) Binney described the way decisions are made at NSA by corporations. 

William Binney was technical director of the world geopolitical and military analysis and reporting Group at NSA and  Co-founder of the SIGINT Automation Research Center.

In another part of the interview, Binney described how his attempts at revealing corruption and problems at NSA to the House Intelligence committee through normal, legal channels, led to him being charged with crimes, harassment and attempts to destroy his life and career. He confirmed that if Edward Snowden had attempted to pursue a similar path, it would not have worked. He called the people who suggested this was what Snowden should have done and that it would have been dealt with, "liars."

The interview below raises some important direct questions. But it also, between the lines might also suggest that the reasons NSA has been spying on all americans may involve corporate motivations and also abuses by US law enforcement people-- police and prosecutors-- abuses that could invalidate thousands of cases. 

The following partial transcript tells the story of financial corruption at NSA:

Rob: What are the corporations that NSA farms out work to?

Bill:  SAIC, TRW, Booz Allen, CFC There's a whole set of buildings that popped up after 911,  right next to NSA, so they could be close and keep their contract influence growing. It's like they'e close to the source of the money and the honey. 

Rob: We're talking hundreds of thousands of employees. 

Bill: around the world, that's right. 

Rob: And these are hundreds of thousands of employees making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year each" 

Bill: Whatever they bill, divide it in two"

Rob: So you're saying, if Snowden was getting a salary of $200,000, then Booz Allen was probably getting $400,000.

Bill: That's correct.

Rob: Wow. I can see how they could build some pretty big high rises quickly. 

Bill: And that's what they did. They're all lined up across the parkway from NSA. 

Rob: But it's worse. What you've said was that the decisions made by NSA were made by the corporations"

Bill: Or extremely influenced by them. Yes. That's correct.

Rob: Can you talk about that some more. What does that mean?

Bill: When they would go, for example, to get proposals from corporations, they would say, "why don't you write the proposals for me," and they would do that, or they would write solicitations for them. NSA is supposed to write solicitations for proposals or bids on what the government wanted done. But they could actually have contractors writing for them. So the contractors would write the requests for proposals and then would write the responses to the proposals. So it was like they were doing both ends of the job.

Rob: Wow

Bill: And that's how the incestuous relationship operates.