Russ Tice lost his career at the National Security Agency trying to expose espionage within the agency, he says. But while he was still there he says he learned that NSA is indeed collecting signals intelligence on Americans outside its authority, and wants to tell Congress all about it.

He said in a letter to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees that high level officials, all the way up to the Secretary of Defense, signed off on the illegal collection program, one of many “Special Access Programs” within the intelligence community. Information on SAP programs is strictly compartmented to specific individuals with need to know.

“As a Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) officer it is continually drilled into us that the very first law chiseled in the SIGINT equivalent of the Ten Commandments (USSID-18) is that thou shall not spy on American persons without a court order from FISA. This law is continually drilled into each NSA intelligence officer throughout his or her career. The very people that lead the National Security Agency have violated this holy edict of SIGINT,” said Tice.

Tice did not say whether the program in question was the same one revealed in the New York Times last week, a related program, or an unrelated program.

Tice claims he was retaliated against by having his security clearance revoked, and finally being fired, after reporting a co-worker at the Defense Intelligence Agency may be involved in espionage.

Tice also appeared on CNN’s Lou Dobbs Tonight last summer to urge Congress to strengthen protections against retaliation for national security whistleblowers.