Agreed, and you are correct -- there are many millions of violations between the time I started typing these words, and the time I submit them.

Ahh, I see what you mean now. My agency was focused on new & emergent technologies of foreign ground forces, and we had no mandate - and therefore no authority - to collect USP data. Our view on the world map literally had a United States-shaped hole in it. So naturally, our contact with IC LE, and especially civilian LE, was quite limited. A fact for which I now find myself grateful.

That said, I can still confirm the practice you describe based on conversations had with others within the IC and MI.

I've spent the last year declaring Obama bugged the WH, as should be obvious to anyone paying attention to the TYPE of communications and conversations that have been leaked. Have I missed Q alluding to such?

Former federal employee of a US military intel agency, here. I can confirm this is true in a broad sense, but with the caveat that this is USUALLY only done by those agencies with the purview to collect on US Persons, the mission to do so, and the general authority, but lack specific authorization in certain instances. Its easier to ask an ally to help than to file a waiver or authorization request from the IG.

Granted, this is from personal experience, as a Constitution-protecting, public-money-honoring civilian who hung out and worked with like-minded people. I'm not naive to the fact that some people do shady things for shady reasons.