Geez. I did a Google News search that turned up a two week old story in the Nation that cites the GOP snooping, and indicates that it’s been public knowledge since the Wall Street Journal published the leaked memos in November. (And the article quotes Orrin Hatch as saying, “there is no excuse that can justify these improper actions.” I guess his staff weren’t listening, or they wouldn’t have offered the defenses quoted in the Globe article.)
Apparently what’s new today in the Globe article is the scope and duration of the intrusions.