In the ensuing decade, however, information began to leak about how the government and its intelligence agencies were using the act, and in particular, one controversial element known as Provision 215, to collect in bulk the phone records of ordinary Americans.
"There was this endless string of leaked stories about how the magazine was on its last legs.
The DHS Inspector General on Wednesday released the results of an investigation into who leaked information about how Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who conducts oversight of the Secret Service, had been rejected for a position in the agency years ago.
In another strange conflict between Spicer and reporters covering the president, the press secretary was at the center of a bizarre dust-up over the weekend that began with news leaking out about how he was contending with... news leaking out all the damned time.
Meanwhile, disturbing news reports continue to leak out about how American financial aid ends up in the hands of the Taliban and about how American troop presence is the most effective recruiting tool for the Taliban (and Islamic extremists throughout the world).
The broadcaster came under fire after a series of embarrassing leaks about how much it pays its star presenters including Terry Wogan, Chris Evans and Jonathan Ross, who is the highest paid presenter in British broadcasting history with a three-year deal reportedly worth around £18m.
On Thursday the first minister launched a stinging attack on the Treasury over an alleged leak about how Royal Bank of Scotland would relocate its head office to London if next week's referendum backed a breakaway from the union.
This week, a Brazilian newspaper, O Globo, has printed articles based on his leaks about how the United States has been collecting data on telephone calls and e-mail traffic in Brazil and other Latin American countries, pushing even close allies of the United States to lodge angry protests with Washington.
The last military man who tried to impose some order on the chaos, H. R. McMaster, the national-security adviser, has been rewarded with a series of leaks about how Trump finds him annoying and is thinking of getting rid of him.
