Tom Drake

Didn't even know about it. Bypassed it. So... I mean, you talk about what do I do? I'm now, I'm saying, wait a minute. I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Now my government is suspending that part of the Constitution because they've, under the imprimatur of national security, it's necessary. I began to blow the whistle within September, within channels at NSA.

Didn't even know about it. Bypassed it. So... I mean, you talk about what do I do? I'm now, I'm saying, wait a minute. I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Now my government is suspending that part of the Constitution because they've, under the imprimatur of national security, it's necessary. I began to blow the whistle within September, within channels at NSA.

Didn't even know about it. Bypassed it. So... I mean, you talk about what do I do? I'm now, I'm saying, wait a minute. I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Now my government is suspending that part of the Constitution because they've, under the imprimatur of national security, it's necessary. I began to blow the whistle within September, within channels at NSA.

That's where I started. Boss Office of General Counsel stopped there because then I went to Inspector General later. Okay. Office of General Counsel. I'm on a phone call with him. This is early October. How much thought did you put into this before you started to blow the whistle, before you started to- A lot, but it was all super compressed because remember, I had a full-time job.

That's where I started. Boss Office of General Counsel stopped there because then I went to Inspector General later. Okay. Office of General Counsel. I'm on a phone call with him. This is early October. How much thought did you put into this before you started to blow the whistle, before you started to- A lot, but it was all super compressed because remember, I had a full-time job.

That's where I started. Boss Office of General Counsel stopped there because then I went to Inspector General later. Okay. Office of General Counsel. I'm on a phone call with him. This is early October. How much thought did you put into this before you started to blow the whistle, before you started to- A lot, but it was all super compressed because remember, I had a full-time job.

I was leading a team, communications. How do you keep people informed as they're coming in around the clock? People are burning out. You can't get people burned out. You can only sustain crisis mode for so long, usually about a week or two, and then you just start getting fried. People are having heart attacks. People are collapsing. People are sleeping in the cars out in the parking lot.

I was leading a team, communications. How do you keep people informed as they're coming in around the clock? People are burning out. You can't get people burned out. You can only sustain crisis mode for so long, usually about a week or two, and then you just start getting fried. People are having heart attacks. People are collapsing. People are sleeping in the cars out in the parking lot.

I was leading a team, communications. How do you keep people informed as they're coming in around the clock? People are burning out. You can't get people burned out. You can only sustain crisis mode for so long, usually about a week or two, and then you just start getting fried. People are having heart attacks. People are collapsing. People are sleeping in the cars out in the parking lot.

Because they really, oh my God, you can imagine people's guilt, the guilt they felt. Yeah, yeah. And so they're doubling down, but they're burning themselves out. Right. And I was in all the leadership team meetings, right?

Because they really, oh my God, you can imagine people's guilt, the guilt they felt. Yeah, yeah. And so they're doubling down, but they're burning themselves out. Right. And I was in all the leadership team meetings, right?

Because they really, oh my God, you can imagine people's guilt, the guilt they felt. Yeah, yeah. And so they're doubling down, but they're burning themselves out. Right. And I was in all the leadership team meetings, right?

The ones I weren't in, the only ones I weren't in were the ones that were my supervisor, who was the number three person, the signals intelligence director, she would have special meetings with the very top deck, right? I was a much smaller, even smaller, I was part of sort of the 40. But then there were sort of like the seven or 10.

The ones I weren't in, the only ones I weren't in were the ones that were my supervisor, who was the number three person, the signals intelligence director, she would have special meetings with the very top deck, right? I was a much smaller, even smaller, I was part of sort of the 40. But then there were sort of like the seven or 10.

The ones I weren't in, the only ones I weren't in were the ones that were my supervisor, who was the number three person, the signals intelligence director, she would have special meetings with the very top deck, right? I was a much smaller, even smaller, I was part of sort of the 40. But then there were sort of like the seven or 10.

Well, this is where I had my moment of truth. Okay. True moment of truth. I already was aware that they were shifting equipment, buying equipment from like the HPs of the world to put them on US networks to, quote unquote, consume and just suck up all kinds of data. Okay. Raw, just raw data. No constraints. No, didn't matter. Okay.

Well, this is where I had my moment of truth. Okay. True moment of truth. I already was aware that they were shifting equipment, buying equipment from like the HPs of the world to put them on US networks to, quote unquote, consume and just suck up all kinds of data. Okay. Raw, just raw data. No constraints. No, didn't matter. Okay.

Well, this is where I had my moment of truth. Okay. True moment of truth. I already was aware that they were shifting equipment, buying equipment from like the HPs of the world to put them on US networks to, quote unquote, consume and just suck up all kinds of data. Okay. Raw, just raw data. No constraints. No, didn't matter. Okay.

Collection is what they called it, but it's really mass surveillance. Right. without getting into deep, but starting with phone calls, starting emails, later expanded very quickly.

Collection is what they called it, but it's really mass surveillance. Right. without getting into deep, but starting with phone calls, starting emails, later expanded very quickly.