26 Facts About Russ Tice

Russell D Tice was born on 1961 and is a former intelligence analyst for the United States Air Force, Office of Naval Intelligence, Defense Intelligence Agency, and National Security Agency.

In December, 2005, Tice helped spark a national controversy over claims that the NSA and the DIA were engaged in unlawful and unconstitutional wiretaps on American citizens.

Russ Tice later admitted that he was one of the sources for the 2005 New York Times reporting on the wiretapping activities.

Russ Tice worked as an intelligence analyst for the US Air Force, Office of Naval Intelligence, and Defense Intelligence Agency.

Russ Tice was transferred from the Defense Intelligence Agency to the National Security Agency in 2002.

The psychologist from the Department of Defense concluded that Russ Tice suffered from psychotic paranoia.

Russ Tice said that three other psychiatric evaluations, including two at the NSA, showed he was normal and just two found him mentally unbalanced.

Russ Tice had been nominated to receive a medal for work he had done during the Iraq war, but after his clearance was suspended it was withdrawn.

Russ Tice claimed he was "being retaliated against because [he] followed the rules and reported suspicious behavior".

Russ Tice was dismissed by the NSA in May 2005, just days after publicly urging Congress to pass stronger protections for federal intelligence agency whistleblowers facing retaliation, and claiming that whistleblowers were being punished.

In December 2005, Russ Tice alleged that both and the DIA were engaged in unlawful and unconstitutional conduct against the American people, sparking a national controversy.

Russ Tice stated that the activities involved the Director of the NSA, the Deputies Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations, and the US Secretary of Defense, and were conducted via very highly sensitive intelligence programs and operations known as special access programs, more commonly referred to as "black world" programs, or "black ops".

Russ Tice was a technical intelligence specialist dealing with SAP programs and operations at both NSA and DIA.

Media reports on January 10,2006, indicated Russ Tice was a source of the Times leak, which revealed that, under the direction of the White House and without requisite court orders, the NSA has been intercepting international communications to and from points within the United States.

Russ Tice said "I'm involved with some certain aspects of the intelligence community, which are very closely held, and I believe I have seen some things that are illegal".

On January 5,2006, The Washington Times reported that Russ Tice wanted to testify before Congress about electronic intelligence programs that he asserted were carried out illegally by the NSA and DIA.

On his Fox News broadcast of January 11,2006, O'Reilly said that Russ Tice should be jailed for his whistleblowing activity.

On February 14,2006, United Press International reported Russ Tice testified to the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations that the Special Access Program might have violated millions of Americans' Constitutional rights, but that neither the committee members nor the NSA inspector general had clearance to review the program.

On May 12,2006, ThinkProgress reported a story by CongressDaily in which Russ Tice was said to be planning an appearance the next week, before the Senate Armed Service Committee, when further revelations would be made about "a different angle" of the NSA's surveillance program.

Russ Tice stated, "This latest action by the government is designed only for one purpose: to ensure that people who witness criminal action being committed by the government are intimidated into remaining silent".

On January 21 and 22,2009, Russ Tice appeared on MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann and stated that while he worked in the NSA, his role was to follow the communications of specific individuals in a program separate from the one that had been previously disclosed.

Russ Tice stated that programs were given dual military and intelligence status so that both types of congressional oversight could be simultaneously denied.

Russ Tice said he initially understood that he was to identify the communication methods of journalists so that they could avoid collection.

Russ Tice said it was difficult for him to communicate securely after he became a whistleblower since "I knew all my communications were tapped, my phones, my computer, and I've had the FBI on me like flies".

Later during the summer of 2013 Russ Tice alleged that during his employment with the NSA, the agency had a program that targeted the phone and computer conversations, word for word, of members of Congress, the Supreme Court, Admirals and Generals, and that the NSA had wiretapped Barack Obama while he was a Senate candidate, saying he had seen and held papers ordering such actions.

Russ Tice said he was "worried that the intelligence community now has sway over what is going on".