What kind of traitor would claim the NSA is misleading the American people? How about 2 US Senators?
by digby
Maybe you think Senator Mark Udall is a Russian/Chinese/somekindacommie spy who should be locked up as a traitor. But if you don’t, if you think he might be someone who has a legitimate concern for Americans’ civil liberties and a belief that the government has a responsibility to seek the consent of the governed, perhaps this is something you might find compelling:
Sen. Mark Udall on Monday accused the National Security Agency of providing false information in a fact sheet about its spying programs, and in a letter to NSA director Gen. Keith Alexander, Udall said the agency is portraying stronger privacy protections for Americans than actually exist.
Udall and Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden contend the NSA’s fact sheet on the so-called 702 program, which gives the government authority to collect foreigners’ phone and Internet communications, has “significant” inaccuracies, according to the letter obtained by The Denver Post.
The fact sheet details the government’s interpretation of Section 702 of the Patriot Act, was distributed to all members of Congress and is up on NSA’s website.
The NSA’s publication maintains the government may not target any Americans anywhere in the world under this law, that there must be a “valid, documented” foreign intelligence purpose for the government to use this authority and that the government must minimize the acquisition of information that isn’t relevant to intelligence investigations.
Udall said he could not elaborate on what part of the two-page fact sheet is inaccurate because it would divulge classified information.
“In our judgment, this inaccuracy is significant, as it portrays protections for Americans’ privacy as being significantly stronger than they actually are,” the two senators wrote. “We urge you to correct this statement as soon as possible.”
The NSA did not immediately respond to The Denver Post for comment on the letter to Alexander.
“When the NSA makes inaccurate statements about government surveillance and fails to correct the public record, it can decrease public confidence in the NSA’s openness,” Udall and Wyden wrote in the letter. “Rebuilding this confidence will require a willingness to correct misstatements and a willingness to make reforms where appropriate.”
I’d like to know to what they are talking about. But that’s just me.
On the other hand, they could just be treasonous America haters whose concerns we should vilify and dismiss based purely on their obviously narcissistic personalities. YMMV, I guess.
*If you’re curious at all what the commies Wyden and Udall are talking about, Emptywheel has some informed speculation, here.
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