HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019669.jpg
1.66 MB
Extraction Summary
5
People
5
Organizations
3
Locations
2
Events
4
Relationships
4
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Book proof / manuscript page (evidence in house oversight investigation)
File Size:
1.66 MB
Summary
This document is page 181 from a book (likely by Edward Jay Epstein, given the filename 'Epst') stamped as evidence for the House Oversight Committee. It details the release of NSA documents after Edward Snowden fled to Moscow, specifically focusing on the revelation that the NSA tapped German Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone. The text analyzes the relationships and communications between Snowden, journalists Laura Poitras and Jacob Appelbaum, and the timing of the leaks via Der Spiegel.
People (5)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Edward Snowden | NSA Whistleblower/Source |
Discussed regarding his access to documents after leaving Hong Kong and his involvement in the Merkel phone hacking r...
|
| Angela Merkel | German Chancellor |
Target of NSA monitoring; her cell phone was hacked.
|
| Jacob Appelbaum | Journalist/Activist |
Co-author of the Der Spiegel story; former co-interrogator of Snowden; WikiLeaks supporter.
|
| Laura Poitras | Journalist |
Caught by surprise by the Der Spiegel story; texted Snowden for explanation.
|
| Anatoly Kucherena | Lawyer (implied) |
Asserted Snowden had access to the archive.
|
Organizations (5)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| NSA |
National Security Agency; agency responsible for the hacking and missing files.
|
|
| Der Spiegel |
German news website that published the Merkel hacking story.
|
|
| WikiLeaks |
Organization supported by Appelbaum.
|
|
| U.S. Intelligence |
General reference to agencies investigating the leaks.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Entity associated with the document stamp (HOUSE_OVERSIGHT).
|
Timeline (2 events)
2013-05
Appelbaum served as Poitras's co-interrogator of Snowden while he was still working at the NSA.
Unknown (context implies remote or Hong Kong)
2013-10-23
Der Spiegel publishes story on NSA hacking Angela Merkel's phone.
Der Spiegel website
Relationships (4)
Appelbaum cited Snowden as source; had contact before Snowden went public.
Poitras texted Snowden for background explanation.
Appelbaum served as Poitras's co-interrogator of Snowden.
Merkel listed as 'target not an asset' in NSA documents.
Key Quotes (4)
"What I can say is we know Angela Merkel was monitored by the National Security Agency."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019669.jpg
Quote #1
"target not an asset"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019669.jpg
Quote #2
"The Keys to the Kingdom Are Missing"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019669.jpg
Quote #3
"The Post–Hong Kong Documents"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019669.jpg
Quote #4
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,389 characters)
The Keys to the Kingdom Are Missing | 181
The Post–Hong Kong Documents
The NSA concern about who had access to its missing files deepened further when NSA documents continued to surface in the press after Snowden went to Moscow. If U.S. intelligence needed any further evidence that someone had access to the documents, these additional revelations provided it.
The most sensational of them was a purported document attributed to Snowden concerning the NSA hacking of the cell phone of the German chancellor, Angela Merkel. The story was published on October 23 on the Der Spiegel website. Appelbaum was the co-author of the story. Even though Snowden had by now been in Russia for four months, he was cited in the story, along with unnamed “others,” as the source for the NSA document. Snowden did not deny it. Indeed, he took a measure of credit for the revelation, saying on German TV, “What I can say is we know Angela Merkel was monitored by the National Security Agency.” If Snowden had been involved in the release of this document, it would be consistent with Kucherena’s assertion that he had access to the archive.
Adding to the intrigue, Poitras was apparently caught by surprise when the Merkel story broke in Der Spiegel. She urgently texted Snowden on what she called “background” (which ordinarily means that a journalist will not attribute information to a source). She asked him in the text to explain the NSA’s actions. Snowden explained to her that Merkel was listed by her true name (and not by a code name) in the NSA document because the German chancellor was an NSA “target not an asset.” Presumably, Poitras would have already known that distinction if she had the document referred to in Der Spiegel. If the Merkel document was not among the data given to Poitras in Hong Kong, how did it get to the authors of the Der Spiegel article?
Appelbaum, of course, had been in contact with Snowden before he went public. He had served as Poitras’s co-interrogator of Snowden while he was still working at the NSA in May 2013. Appelbaum was also one of the leading supporters of WikiLeaks. Because he was famously an advocate of revealing government secrets, it seems unlikely that he would have delayed releasing such a bombshell about Merkel’s phone if Snowden had given him this document
The most sensational of them was a purported document attributed to Snowden concerning the NSA hacking of the cell phone of the German chancellor, Angela Merkel. The story was published on October 23 on the Der Spiegel website. Appelbaum was the co-author of the story. Even though Snowden had by now been in Russia for four months, he was cited in the story, along with unnamed “others,” as the source for the NSA document. Snowden did not deny it. Indeed, he took a measure of credit for the revelation, saying on German TV, “What I can say is we know Angela Merkel was monitored by the National Security Agency.” If Snowden had been involved in the release of this document, it would be consistent with Kucherena’s assertion that he had access to the archive.
Adding to the intrigue, Poitras was apparently caught by surprise when the Merkel story broke in Der Spiegel. She urgently texted Snowden on what she called “background” (which ordinarily means that a journalist will not attribute information to a source). She asked him in the text to explain the NSA’s actions. Snowden explained to her that Merkel was listed by her true name (and not by a code name) in the NSA document because the German chancellor was an NSA “target not an asset.” Presumably, Poitras would have already known that distinction if she had the document referred to in Der Spiegel. If the Merkel document was not among the data given to Poitras in Hong Kong, how did it get to the authors of the Der Spiegel article?
Appelbaum, of course, had been in contact with Snowden before he went public. He had served as Poitras’s co-interrogator of Snowden while he was still working at the NSA in May 2013. Appelbaum was also one of the leading supporters of WikiLeaks. Because he was famously an advocate of revealing government secrets, it seems unlikely that he would have delayed releasing such a bombshell about Merkel’s phone if Snowden had given him this document
Epst_9780451494566_2p_all_r1.z.indd 181 9/29/16 5:51 PM
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019669
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019669
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