- Apr 24, 2013
- 1,200
The National Security Agency received virtually no criticism from legislators who appeared on the Sunday morning shows to discuss President Obama’s proposed changes to the agency’s bulk data collection programs.
Some of the staunchest supporters of government surveillance criticized Obama’s plan to store telephone metadata under the control of a third party rather than the NSA. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich., said on CNN’s State of the Union that the president’s speech left “a lot of uncertainty” over the NSA’s programs and that America’s ability to deter terrorist threats could be hurt.
Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul said the president’s changes are “moving in the right direction,” but questioned what body would have the capacity to handle the data. Looking forward to the end of March, when Attorney General Eric Holder will deliver recommendations on how to store metadata, McCaul said, “Who other than the NSA has the capability to handle this data?” he asked.
Democratic leaders also focused more on the specter of terrorism than on civil liberties concerns. Appearing on Meet the Press with Rogers, Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Dianne Feinstein defended the NSA’s original efforts. “The whole purpose of this program is to provide instantaneous information, to disrupt any plot that might be taking place,” she said. Feinstein also minimized the government’s collection again by comparing it to data mining by private companies.
Even critics of the NSA’s efforts had good things to say about the presdient’s promises. Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, the Senate Judiciary Committee Chair, said he would not oppose Obama’s proposal but that “There’s going to be a lot of questions between both Republicans and Democrats concerned we’re going too much into the privacy of Americans.”
Feinstein, Rogers, and McCaul also took time to attack former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. McCaul told This Week host George Stephanopolous he believes Snowden was “cultivated by a foreign power,” but refused to offer any evidence for his assertions. Rogers also tried to tie Snowden to Russia as he lamented the “billions and billions of dollars” that will need to be spent to build new intelligence capabilities.
Some of the staunchest supporters of government surveillance criticized Obama’s plan to store telephone metadata under the control of a third party rather than the NSA. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich., said on CNN’s State of the Union that the president’s speech left “a lot of uncertainty” over the NSA’s programs and that America’s ability to deter terrorist threats could be hurt.
Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul said the president’s changes are “moving in the right direction,” but questioned what body would have the capacity to handle the data. Looking forward to the end of March, when Attorney General Eric Holder will deliver recommendations on how to store metadata, McCaul said, “Who other than the NSA has the capability to handle this data?” he asked.
Democratic leaders also focused more on the specter of terrorism than on civil liberties concerns. Appearing on Meet the Press with Rogers, Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Dianne Feinstein defended the NSA’s original efforts. “The whole purpose of this program is to provide instantaneous information, to disrupt any plot that might be taking place,” she said. Feinstein also minimized the government’s collection again by comparing it to data mining by private companies.
Even critics of the NSA’s efforts had good things to say about the presdient’s promises. Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, the Senate Judiciary Committee Chair, said he would not oppose Obama’s proposal but that “There’s going to be a lot of questions between both Republicans and Democrats concerned we’re going too much into the privacy of Americans.”
Feinstein, Rogers, and McCaul also took time to attack former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. McCaul told This Week host George Stephanopolous he believes Snowden was “cultivated by a foreign power,” but refused to offer any evidence for his assertions. Rogers also tried to tie Snowden to Russia as he lamented the “billions and billions of dollars” that will need to be spent to build new intelligence capabilities.
