From: Porter Goss (pgoss@cia.gov)
To: George W. Bush (cowboyup@whitehouse.gov)
Subject: RE: Wiretapping
From: Porter Goss (pgoss@cia.gov)
To: George W. Bush (cowboyup@whitehouse.gov)
Subject: RE: Wiretapping
Good Morning sir,
I did receive Mr. Cheney's e-mail indicating that you had asked if you could also be involved in the wiretapping you saw on CNN and read in your speech the other day, and I have received the list you sent, however I need to explain and address some issues that we may encounter in implementing the proposed investigations.
Regarding the first set of names, it is important that you understand that a wiretap is simply a telephone surveillance device, and so your request stating you "want to tap that ass" makes me unsure if you are seeking the same service we are providing. In addition, this is an audio, not a video device, so "watching two of them do it" wouldn't really be possible without the committment of additional agents and equipment. Also, we would require more information is needed regarding specific names and/or addresses in order to initiate a wiretap. Specifically, we need the name of "The hot chick on Fox News".
On a more positive note, Keira Knightly, Nicole Kidman and Kate Winslett can be all be monitored without any legal issues, as they are not American citizens. Also if by "The really hot chick on Lost" you mean Evangeline Lilly, she is Canadian and can also be monitored without clandestine services.
Mr. Cheney also reviewed your list and had some concerns, most notably he vetoed his daughter and her girlfriend being included.
Regarding the remainder of the list, let me address some other issues:
- Believe me sir, if we knew what phone Osama Bin Laden was using we would monitor it and arrest him.
- I assure you Saddam's phone calls are monitored
- I don't believe we have the resources available for "the whole liberal media", at least not with our current budget. Perhaps we could discuss adding it to the budget request for fiscal `07?
- I don't believe the Zoo has a phone in that area, but if you like you can watch the online at http://animal.discovery.com/...
Please let me know if you would like to implement the requested wiretaps with the changes above.
Porter Goss
Director
Central Intelligence Administration.