N.S.A. Inspector General’s Reports About Bulk Phone Records Program Are Released

In response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by The New York Times, the Justice Department has provided these reports by the National Security Agency’s inspector general about the once-secret bulk phone records program. The release includes an unredacted letter showing the full name of an order from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court about the program, which usually is redacted. It lists phone company names and discloses that the program can be used to search for operatives of the government of Iran and associated terrorist groups, not just Al Qaeda and its allies.