Tuesday, October 29– U.S President Barack Obama says he wants to “review” the NSA’s spying operations, after the chair of the Senate intelligence committee said she was “totally opposed” to US spying on foreign allies.
Anyway, Barack Obama sidesteps questions over whether he knew the cellphones of world leaders were being monitored by the National Security Agency. Speaking during an interview in the grounds of the White House, Obama said: ‘I’m not confirming a bunch of assumptions that have been made in the press’
Obama told ABC News on Monday evening that he would not discuss classified information but accepted that security operations were being reassessed to ensure proper oversight of the NSA’s technical abilities.
“We give them policy direction. But what we’ve seen over the last several years is their capacities continue to develop and expand, and that’s why I’m initiating now a review to make sure that what they’re able to do doesn’t necessarily mean what they should be doing.”
Previously, California Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein strongly criticised the NSA’s monitoring of the calls of friendly world leaders such as German chancellor Angela Merkel.
With respect to NSA collection of intelligence on leaders of US allies – including France, Spain, Mexico and Germany – let me state unequivocally: I am totally opposed,” Ms Feinstein said.
