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> Getting caught blackmailing a Congressman would be very, very bad for them

Isn't it common knowledge big corporations "buy" congressmen all the time with insanely big "contributions"?

Why wouldn't the NSA do exactly the same thing?

Because bribing and blackmailing are not the same thing. The first one is unfortunately legal as long as its done the right way (through campaign contributions and PACs) and the second one is still a crime.

I was implying they result in the exact same outcome, which means for all intents and purposes they are the same thing, when done correctly.

Except one leaves the congressperson happy and one leaves the congressperson angry. Do you think the angry or the happy person is most likely to anonymously disclose this information to a journalist?

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