White House Response to SIM Card Heist

'If they'd known we were doing it, they would have approved.'

 

Also from that WSJ article…

The NSA has tried in the past two years to deflect criticism of its spying practices, such as collecting bulk telephone records, saying it targets adversaries with its spying practices. But few would argue Gemalto fits that description.

[...]

U.S. officials haven’t confirmed that such information was stolen, or, if it was stolen, whether it was ever used. Multiple U.S. officials are referring questions on the leak to the NSA, which has not responded to multiple requests for comment.

  Wall Street Journal