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NSA REFUSES to deny spying on Congress after Senator presses for answers
NSA released statement on Saturday
Comes after Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont sent a letter on January 3 asking about NSA's surveillance activities on members of Congress
Statement did not deny collecting communications from legislators of the US Congress to whom it says it is accountable
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 15:45 EST, 5 January 2014 | UPDATED: 16:22 EST, 5 January 2014
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The National Security Agency has not denied spying on members of Congress after a senator demanded answers regarding its surveillance activities.
The NSA released a statement on Saturday which did not deny collecting communications from legislators of the US Congress to whom it says it is accountable.
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont sent a letter on January 3 asking about NSA ‘gathering metadata on calls made from official or personal phones, content from websites visited or emails sent, or collecting any other data from a third party not made available to the general public in the regular course of business’.
Spying on us? Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont sent a letter on January 3 asking about NSA's surveillance activities on members of Congress
Spying on us? Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont sent a letter on January 3 asking about NSA's surveillance activities on members of Congress
The agency said in its statement that the NSA’s gathering of ‘signals intelligence data include procedures that protect the privacy of US persons. Such protections are built into and cut across the entire process.
‘Members of Congress have the same privacy protections as all US persons. NSA is fully committed to transparency with Congress.
'Our interaction with Congress has been extensive both before and since the media disclosures began last June,' said the statement.
More...
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Secret spy court says NSA CAN keep collecting every American's phone records
It added: ‘We are reviewing Senator Sanders’s letter now, and we will continue to work to ensure that all members of Congress, including Senator Sanders, have information about NSA’s mission, authorities, and programs to fully inform the discharge of their duties.’
The agency has been at the centre of political controversy since former contractor, Edward Snowden, released thousands of revealing documents on its activities to media outlets.
Former contractor, Edward Snowden, released thousands of revealing surveillance documents, hurling the NSA into the center of political controversy
Former contractor, Edward Snowden, released thousands of revealing surveillance documents, hurling the NSA into the center of political controversy
Soon after Sanders' letter was published, the director of national intelligence, James Clapper, announced that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (Fisa) Court, the body which exists to provide government oversight of NSA surveillance activities, had renewed the domestic phone records collection order for another 90 days, according to The Guardian.
On Saturday, the New York Times published a letter from Robert Litt, in which the general counsel for the Office of National Intelligence denied allegations that Clapper lied to Congress in March, when questioned about NSA domestic surveillance.
Under fire: A protester with the organization Code Pink holds up a placard as Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, right, arrives to testify before the House (Select) Intelligence Committee
Under fire: A protester with the organization Code Pink holds up a placard as Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, right, arrives to testify before the House (Select) Intelligence Committee
Testimony: Robert Litt, the general counsel for the Office of National Intelligence, denied allegations that Clapper lied to Congress in March
Testimony: Robert Litt, the general counsel for the Office of National Intelligence, denied allegations that Clapper lied to Congress in March
Last month, two federal judges issued contradictory verdicts on whether such NSA surveillance was constitutional. Judge Richard Leon said it was not constitutional; Judge William Pauley said that it was, according to The Guardian.
On Saturday Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) launched a class action lawsuit against the government over NSA spy programs.
Paul claimed that several hundred thousand people have already signed up for the suit that he hopes will be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court – perhaps an inevitability after courts have issued differing District Court rulings on the constitutionality of the program.
Read more:
NSA statement does not deny 'spying' on members of Congress
Testimony of the National Intelligence Director - NYTimes.com
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz2pciI7Fkx
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NSA released statement on Saturday
Comes after Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont sent a letter on January 3 asking about NSA's surveillance activities on members of Congress
Statement did not deny collecting communications from legislators of the US Congress to whom it says it is accountable
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 15:45 EST, 5 January 2014 | UPDATED: 16:22 EST, 5 January 2014
55 shares 8View
comments
The National Security Agency has not denied spying on members of Congress after a senator demanded answers regarding its surveillance activities.
The NSA released a statement on Saturday which did not deny collecting communications from legislators of the US Congress to whom it says it is accountable.
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont sent a letter on January 3 asking about NSA ‘gathering metadata on calls made from official or personal phones, content from websites visited or emails sent, or collecting any other data from a third party not made available to the general public in the regular course of business’.
Spying on us? Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont sent a letter on January 3 asking about NSA's surveillance activities on members of Congress
Spying on us? Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont sent a letter on January 3 asking about NSA's surveillance activities on members of Congress
The agency said in its statement that the NSA’s gathering of ‘signals intelligence data include procedures that protect the privacy of US persons. Such protections are built into and cut across the entire process.
‘Members of Congress have the same privacy protections as all US persons. NSA is fully committed to transparency with Congress.
'Our interaction with Congress has been extensive both before and since the media disclosures began last June,' said the statement.
More...
Senator Rand Paul launches class action law suit challenging constitutionality of NSA spy program
Secret spy court says NSA CAN keep collecting every American's phone records
It added: ‘We are reviewing Senator Sanders’s letter now, and we will continue to work to ensure that all members of Congress, including Senator Sanders, have information about NSA’s mission, authorities, and programs to fully inform the discharge of their duties.’
The agency has been at the centre of political controversy since former contractor, Edward Snowden, released thousands of revealing documents on its activities to media outlets.
Former contractor, Edward Snowden, released thousands of revealing surveillance documents, hurling the NSA into the center of political controversy
Former contractor, Edward Snowden, released thousands of revealing surveillance documents, hurling the NSA into the center of political controversy
Soon after Sanders' letter was published, the director of national intelligence, James Clapper, announced that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (Fisa) Court, the body which exists to provide government oversight of NSA surveillance activities, had renewed the domestic phone records collection order for another 90 days, according to The Guardian.
On Saturday, the New York Times published a letter from Robert Litt, in which the general counsel for the Office of National Intelligence denied allegations that Clapper lied to Congress in March, when questioned about NSA domestic surveillance.
Under fire: A protester with the organization Code Pink holds up a placard as Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, right, arrives to testify before the House (Select) Intelligence Committee
Under fire: A protester with the organization Code Pink holds up a placard as Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, right, arrives to testify before the House (Select) Intelligence Committee
Testimony: Robert Litt, the general counsel for the Office of National Intelligence, denied allegations that Clapper lied to Congress in March
Testimony: Robert Litt, the general counsel for the Office of National Intelligence, denied allegations that Clapper lied to Congress in March
Last month, two federal judges issued contradictory verdicts on whether such NSA surveillance was constitutional. Judge Richard Leon said it was not constitutional; Judge William Pauley said that it was, according to The Guardian.
On Saturday Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) launched a class action lawsuit against the government over NSA spy programs.
Paul claimed that several hundred thousand people have already signed up for the suit that he hopes will be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court – perhaps an inevitability after courts have issued differing District Court rulings on the constitutionality of the program.
Read more:
NSA statement does not deny 'spying' on members of Congress
Testimony of the National Intelligence Director - NYTimes.com
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz2pciI7Fkx
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
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