The newly announced chairman of General Motors, Edward E Whitacre Jr, led AT&T and its predecessor entities as chairman and chief executive officer from 1990 to 2007. His tenure completely encompasses the period when telecom companies illegally acquiesced to the Bush-era warrantless interception of Americans’ communications.

Whitacre, 67, was chairman and chief executive of AT&T and its predecessor companies from 1990 to 2007. During that time he grew the company through several mergers and acquisitions, GM said.

Whitacre is on the boards of ExxonMobil Corporation and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation. He also holds an industrial engineering degree from Texas Technological University.

Whitacre also led AT&T throughout most of the fierce lobbying undertaken by the telecoms to ensure none of them were ever liable for violating the clear laws against providing access to Americans’ private data unless the government had a warrant. The success of this effort means we will likely never know how Mr Whitacre reacted when the Bush Administration illegally asked to intercept Americans’ telephone calls and emails.

Thanks to the gutting of FISA last summer, the retroactive immunity for telecoms, and the Obama Administration’s continued fights in court to keep "state secrets" secret, we will never know what AT&T said when the spies came calling for your private data and mine, without the required warrants, while Mr Whitacre was at the helm.

But it does bring a whole new meaning to "Onstar! How may I help you?" in every single vehicle General Motors produces.