Ed Helms Talks FBI Break-ins and Government Surveillance

You're listening to Comedy Central.

Hey, there's NOI Chang. The Daily Show is off this week, but don't worry. We put together some of our favorite moments from the show in case you miss them. We'll be back with brand new shows on September tenth. Until then, enjoyed today's episode.

Welcome Back to Russia.

My guest tonight was an actor, writer, producer who hosts a podcast about history's greatest screw ups called Snaffu.

Please welcome back, Ed Helms. All right, all right, I.

Have to say, John Stewart, you looking crazy.

Thank you very much for that. I'll think it's a compliment.

Yeah, because I watched John Stewart my whole life, and now I'm sitting in the chair that he sits on occasionally on Mondays. Yeah, let's talk about your podcast and then we'll get into the Daily Show cause I got to ask you.

About working here at the Daily Show.

But your podcast second season is called snaff Fou. Yes, and it's about the break in of the FBI offices. Yes, and the Washington reporter who reported on it. Yes, what the are you doing? I thought I thought you worked in comedy.

I just say yes, Yes, that's all I do in interviews. Yes, so, okay, it is a podcast about it's called Snafoo.

It's about history's greatest screw ups. Yeah. Season one we talked about.

This incredible story about a NATO military exercise that almost in nineteen eighty three that almost turned into a nuclear holocaust, a.

Big deal.

And it's really kind of actually darkly funny. Season two that's out now, we talk about these incredible actctivists in nineteen seventy one who felt like the FBI was getting a little out of hand and starting to harass people and surveyal people. And they were right, but they didn't have any way to prove it. So they broke into

And then years later.

By the way, this all led to lots of fallout the Church Committee hearings, which then led to congressional oversight of the FBI and the CIA in the NSA and all these things. So it's a very very big deal what these people did. It's largely forgotten, sadly. But Betty Metzger then wrote a book in twenty fourteen and that's what that is the Burglary, and it's an incredible story.

Forty percent of the case files that the Crew stole dealt with surveillance of legal political activity.

Correct.

One percent covered organized crime. Right, It's like, what I don't and by the way, I don't. I don't really know, but I feel like that could also pertain to today's date.

Well, it's just it's like that was when Jager can't read.

You another one, even though it's your podcast.

Yes, my boy.

The document revealed that every black student at Swarthmore College was under FBI surveillance.

I mean, what the is going on? Yeah?

Basically, if if jaigar Hoover thought that you were like some hooligan, which was anyone who opposed the Vietnam War, anyone involved in the Civil rights movement, and anyone with long.

Hair, Yeah, that one I get sure.

Of course, if Jayed gar Hoover thought you were like a problem for society, he was going to surveil and harass you, and the entire FBI apparatus was going to do that too, and thankfully these burglars proved that was happening, and it was fixed for a little while, and then there was the Patriot Act and all kinds of the Cold War and lots of other complicating factors. But it is still it's a it's an important question to always be asking, like, are we protecting our civil civil liberties enough?

Probably? What is the where's the line? But ed? But ed, I don't do anything wrong. I don't care if they tap into my computer. Same here ahead, Ed, what's the big d you put.

A piece of scotch tape over my webcam when I'm masturbated?

It doesn't matter. What does it matter you masturbate? Oh my gosh, let's talk about this. I'm just I'm just doing. I'm just doing.

First of all, I want to go on the record and say I do not masturbate, and that was but.

That is a kickback response.

I can envision someone saying, I don't have anything to hide with the big deal about So what is the big deal about?

Surveill?

And you're right, I think a lot of people ask that with it, just when it comes up, when law enforcement power comes up, like, yeah, I'm not doing anything wrong, But what the problem with surveillance? When it's done on such a huge scale and you're surveilling people who are not doing anything wrong, it then becomes leverage over you

And that's very scary and it's not okay talk about because this was fascinating to me. They burglarized the FBI office and they sent these copies of files out to a lot of different people, but only one of them, this woman was courageous enough to report.

I mean, what was that like for her? That's a great question.

So Betty Medsker was a very young reporter at the Washington Post. She receives this envelope, It's full of FBI files.

She's like, what the hell with this?

Meanwhile, the burglars also sent copies of the files, as you mentioned, to some senators and some other reporters. The senators immediately turned them over to the FBI. The other reporters chickened out, but Betty Medsker and the sort of brass at the Washington Post which later, of course, you know, Woodward Burnstein, Watergate and and the Pentagon papers that all came after this. But but they they were courageous enough to put this out here. And I'm really and really

This stories great. In the podcast, she tells the story of.

After this this got published, the article, not the book. She picked up the phone to call her friend, and the FBI is just on the line, say what are you doing?

Yeah?

Yeah, so that's okay. This is this is exactly what the burglars were trying.

This is why I put scotch tape on my computer? Is this why you master?

No?

They so they yeah, So she put this article gets published in the New York Times.

She picks up her phone like the next day, and so there's a voice on her phone that says, who are you trying to call?

Yeah?

So messed up? What?

Yeah, it's great, it's a great. Listen, it's fun. You're somehow funny in it even though it's a serious topic. Thank you, so good job. Speaking of funny, the office, the hangover, the daily show, what is that?

What is what is that evoke? What is that evoke? Those images?

Oh my gosh, do you remember the State the Los Angeles green screen?

Well, sorry, I mean on location. I was in a cocaine fever dream the whole time. I don't know I have It's so fun to come back here. I just love I have such fond memories. It's been like eighteen years since I worked here, which is incredible. But I have to say I've watched the show ever since I left. I still love it. And you guys, this crop of correspondence, you guys are crushing it.

Thank you very much.

It is if you, if you had to pick one. Oftentimes, when I'm out in the field doing something that is hard, doing a piece on the desk, being here, I always wondering is this helping me somehow? Is this gonna help me later? And should I be focused in the present moment? Yes, sure, But you come to me from the future, yes, right, And you've gone on to do all these great comedy things and now this season two of the podcast. But what has helped you from the Daily Show as you moved.

On nothing nothing.

I will say I have a good answer to that quod answer, and it is the The Daily Show is was my first like real comedy job, and it taught me really through through John's example, like the discipline and the focus and the hard work that it takes and and some of the like the real like sweat that it takes to create good comedy or just good product, like it's hard work and that I've carried that with me for for years since since then, and uh, this.

Is where I started. Here we are. That's great, that's awesome.

Are there any are there any field pieces you did that now would be considered an HR nightmare?

Is there anything that anything that comes to mind? Yes, an HR nightmare?

I think, yeah, well we actually have HR different, we actually have HR now, Okay, well there you go.

Yeah exactly.

Yeah, there were no HR nightmares twenty years ago because of you.

Yeah.

Yeah, the reason that they have. But yeah, what comes to mind? Anything that's like, you know, conventions?

Should I should I create a fresh HR nightmare? But no, I have Gosh, I have so many great memories. I really loved going to the conventions, right, the are you guys headed to this? We are We're going to cargo so exciting, and I had, like, we had real press credentials.

I remember, this is this is this is really funny.

We got to the the Republican Convention, which was at Madison Square Garden just down the street, and we get to the security checkpoint and Rob Quadrey forgot his driver's license and everyone had to have a picture.

I D.

So we're like, oh god, and then he looks up and Rob goes, does that count as a picture?

I D?

And Comedy Central had bought a giant billboard with all over our faces and our names right next to Madison Square Garden. It was the Indecision two thousand and two.

Or four or whatever.

And the security guard was like, yeah, yeah, I guess that's it at different times.

That's amazing.

That's amazing that Comedy Central bought a billboard.

Yes, thank you for sitting down with it. This is You're one of my favorites. That's right, Eye welcome bat On Slapool. New episodes of SNAPO members air weekly. I Mean iHeartRadio app and Everyone podcast I Heard at Helm Explore more shows from the Daily Show podcast universe by searching The Daily Show wherever you get your podcasts. Watch The Daily Show weeknights at eleven ten Central on Comedy Central, and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount plus Paramount Podcasts