Page 4 - Stellar Wind News Today

George w. bush. randy cay. >> reporter: no question these two former fbi directors have a history. it dates back to 2004 when james comey refused to authorize an nsa surveillance program called stellar wind under george w. bush. comey learned members of the bush administration were headed to then josh ash crofts hospital room to get him to reauthorize the spying program. he called robert mueller to alurt him. >> i told him what was happening. he said ill meet you at the it hospital right now. >>...

It includes his firing of james comey and he said that mueller is quote very very good friends with comey and the president said thats very bothersome. cnns randi kaye looks into the relationship between the two former fbi directors. >> reporter: no question these two former fbi directors have a history. it dates back to 2004 when james comey refused to authorize an nsa surveillance program called stellar wind under george w. bush. comey learned members of the bush administration were heading to...

Program called stellar wind under george w. bush. comey learned members of the bush administration were heading to then attorney general john ashcrofts hospital room to get him to reauthorize the spying program. comey called robert mueller, who was the fbi director at the time, who alert him. >> i told him what was happening. he said ill meet you at the hospital. hes one of the finest people ive ever met. >> reporter: comey was deputy attorney general at the time and serving as acting head of th...

In march when this program known as code name stellar wind was due to expire. and james comey believed under the justice departments rules it was unconstitutional and illegal and he went toe to toe with the white house and vice president cheney to get it shut down. vice president cheney disagreed, thought it was an important part of the governments tool kit and told james comey that the program would kill americans if it was allowed to expire and that blood would be on jim comeys hands. it culmi...

Another and were really the two central figures in what is now the famous 2004 hospital room incident involving john ashcroft and the bush white house and a showdown over the nsas terrorist surveillance program. >> tell us more about that. they show up at his hospital room in the middle of the night but go on, tell us about that. >> this was something that unfolded over the first couple of month of 2004, culminating in march when this program known as code name stellar wind was due to expire. an...

>> right. extraordinary development. well see what happens. >> it will be interesting to know who leaked the story about the investigation. >> lets go to snowden. the guardian newspaper in britain reported you were the attorney general of george w. bush at the time you and defense secretary bob gates signed a document that okayed the mining of american e-mail in a program called stellar wind. first of all, is that true? >> i cant discuss that program, which as far as i know is still classified. ...

The nature of the information that was released was such that somebody of his stature i dont think would have released it without a wink and nod from somebody in authority. >> and that would be from the white house? >> yes. thats my initial reaction. >> right. extraordinary devepment. well see what happens. >> it will be interesting to know who leaked the story about the investigation. >> lets go to snowden. the guardian newspaper in britain reported you were the attorney general of george w. bu...