U.S. Spied On German Media And Government
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The German parliament is investigating spying by the United States on both the government and media.
That the NSA was spying in German officials is not new, though it continues to upset free press advocates and those in Germany with memories of repressive governments both Communist and Nazi. That the NSA was spying on German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cell phone was first reported by the respected German magazine DER SPIEGEL in 2013 with information gleaned from the stolen then leaked files of Edward Snowden.
On Thursday Wikileaks released more information presumably from that surveillance, with Merkel said “professed to be at a loss” over the Greek financial crisis, and information suggesting that the NSA was spying on German ministers in addition to Merkel. U.S. Ambassador to Germany John Emerson was summoned to meet with the Chancellery chief of staff Peter Altmaier to discuss the news.
Less observed: that this week came news that the NSA was eavesdropping not only on Merkel, but in some capacity on Germany’s free press as well, namely DER SPIEGEL…
“It feels bitter to learn, that American intelligence agencies spied on reporters in another country and denounced alleged sources to the government,” said one reporter involved, who asked not to be identified for fear of repercussions from his government or the US government. “This is something I expected to happen in authoritarian states like Russia or China but not in a democracy.”
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