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7th June 2013, 11:44 AM
Obama Calls Surveillance Programs Legal and Limited
Obama Discusses Surveillance Programs: President Obama defends and explains a National Security Agency program that monitors domestic and international phone records.
By CHARLIE SAVAGE (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/charlie_savage/index.html), EDWARD WYATT (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/w/edward_wyatt/index.html), PETER BAKER (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/peter_baker/index.html) and MICHAEL D. SHEAR (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/michael_d_shear/index.html) Published: June 7, 2013 187 Comments (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/08/us/national-security-agency-surveillance.html?smid=fb-nytimes&WT.z_sma=US_SLL_20130607&_r=0#commentsContainer)
WASHINGTON — President Obama on Friday offered a robust defense of the government surveillance programs revealed this week, and sought to reassure the public that his administration has not become a Big Brother with eyes and ears throughout the world of online communications.
Multimedia
http://graphics8.nytimes.com//images/2013/06/06/us/06nsa-reauth/06nsa-reauth-thumbWide-v2.jpg Timeline (http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/06/07/us/07nsa-timeline.html?ref=us)
Electronic Surveillance Under Bush and Obama (http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/06/07/us/07nsa-timeline.html?ref=us)
Related
Despite Ambivalence, a Strong Embrace of Divisive Security Tools (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/us/obamas-strong-embrace-of-divisive-security-tools.html?ref=us) (June 7, 2013)
Sounding the Alarm, but With a Muted Bell (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/us/politics/senators-wyden-and-udall-warned-about-surveillance.html?ref=us) (June 7, 2013)
Blogger, With Focus on Surveillance, Is at Center of a Debate (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/business/media/anti-surveillance-activist-is-at-center-of-new-leak.html?ref=us) (June 7, 2013)
Q. and A. on the Domestic Surveillance Program (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/us/q-and-a-on-the-domestic-surveillance-program.html?ref=us) (June 7, 2013)
Times Topic: Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/foreign_intelligence_surveillance_act_fisa/index.html)
Related in Opinion
Editorial: President Obama’s Dragnet (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/opinion/president-obamas-dragnet.html?ref=us) (June 7, 2013)
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Patrick Semansky/Associated Press The N.S.A. and other government agencies declined to comment about the disclosures.
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“Nobody is listening to your telephone calls,” Mr. Obama said, delivering a 14-minute answer to two questions about the surveillance programs at an event that was initially supposed to be devoted to the health care law. “That’s not what this program is about.”
The president’s remarks, during a four-day trip to the West Coast, were his first since the revelations this week of programs to collect information about phone calls and Internet traffic. Mr. Obama said the programs help prevent terrorist attacks and they are kept in check by rigorous judicial and Congressional oversight.
He acknowledged that the public may be uncomfortable with the broad reach of the formerly secret programs, but he said he believed the government had struck the right balance between the need to fight terrorism and the need to protect privacy.
“You can’t have 100 percent security and then also have 100 percent privacy and zero inconvenience,” Mr. Obama said, repeatedly stressing that the lawmakers from both parties and federal judges were aware of the efforts. “You know, we’re going to have to make some choices as a society.”
Mr. Obama remained silent on Thursday as national security leaks revealed the secret programs for collecting the information, but on Friday he appeared eager to explain them at length. He dismissed what he called “some of the hype” from news reports and emphasized the limits on the programs.
“If the intelligence community actually wants to listen to a telephone call, they have to go back to a federal judge,” Mr. Obama said. He said the collection of information from Internet companies like Google and Apple does not apply to American citizens or people living in the United States.
He repeatedly stressed that the surveillance programs were subject to Congressional oversight. In fact, he suggested that the programs — which he conceded were classified as top secret — were not truly secret because many members of Congress were aware of them.
“What you’ve got is two programs that were originally authorized by Congress, have been repeatedly authorized by Congress,” the president said. “Bipartisan majorities have approved them. Congress is continually briefed on how these are conducted. There are a whole range of safeguards involved. And federal judges are overseeing the entire program throughout.”
Mr. Obama suggested that Congressional debate behind closed doors should offer the public some confidence that the surveillance is not being abused. He said that those members of Congress — and the judges on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court — were watching the process.
“If in fact there were abuses taking place, then presumably, those members of Congress could raise those issues.” Mr. Obama said. “They are empowered to do so.”
“If people can’t trust not only the executive branch but also don’t trust Congress and don’t trust federal judges to make sure that we’re abiding by the Constitution, due process and rule of law, then we’re going to have some problems here,” he said.
The president also said he welcomed a more public debate over the future of such surveillance programs and what should be the appropriate balance between civil liberties and the need to maintain national security. But he said there “are some tradeoffs involved” in that debate.
“My assessment and my team’s assessment was that they help us prevent terrorist attacks,” Mr. Obama said.
Asked about government leaks that revealed the existence of the programs, the president defended the system of classifications that keeps information secret. And he suggested that such leaks make it harder for the government to protect Americans.
1
2 (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/08/us/national-security-agency-surveillance.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0&smid=fb-nytimes)
3 (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/08/us/national-security-agency-surveillance.html?pagewanted=3&_r=0&smid=fb-nytimes)
Obama Discusses Surveillance Programs: President Obama defends and explains a National Security Agency program that monitors domestic and international phone records.
By CHARLIE SAVAGE (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/charlie_savage/index.html), EDWARD WYATT (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/w/edward_wyatt/index.html), PETER BAKER (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/peter_baker/index.html) and MICHAEL D. SHEAR (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/michael_d_shear/index.html) Published: June 7, 2013 187 Comments (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/08/us/national-security-agency-surveillance.html?smid=fb-nytimes&WT.z_sma=US_SLL_20130607&_r=0#commentsContainer)
WASHINGTON — President Obama on Friday offered a robust defense of the government surveillance programs revealed this week, and sought to reassure the public that his administration has not become a Big Brother with eyes and ears throughout the world of online communications.
Multimedia
http://graphics8.nytimes.com//images/2013/06/06/us/06nsa-reauth/06nsa-reauth-thumbWide-v2.jpg Timeline (http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/06/07/us/07nsa-timeline.html?ref=us)
Electronic Surveillance Under Bush and Obama (http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/06/07/us/07nsa-timeline.html?ref=us)
Related
Despite Ambivalence, a Strong Embrace of Divisive Security Tools (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/us/obamas-strong-embrace-of-divisive-security-tools.html?ref=us) (June 7, 2013)
Sounding the Alarm, but With a Muted Bell (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/us/politics/senators-wyden-and-udall-warned-about-surveillance.html?ref=us) (June 7, 2013)
Blogger, With Focus on Surveillance, Is at Center of a Debate (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/business/media/anti-surveillance-activist-is-at-center-of-new-leak.html?ref=us) (June 7, 2013)
Q. and A. on the Domestic Surveillance Program (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/us/q-and-a-on-the-domestic-surveillance-program.html?ref=us) (June 7, 2013)
Times Topic: Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/foreign_intelligence_surveillance_act_fisa/index.html)
Related in Opinion
Editorial: President Obama’s Dragnet (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/opinion/president-obamas-dragnet.html?ref=us) (June 7, 2013)
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/04/26/us/nattwitter_thumb/nattwitter_thumb-thumbStandard.jpg (https://twitter.com/#%21/nytnational)
Connect With Us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/#%21/nytnational) Follow @NYTNational (https://twitter.com/#%21/nytnational) for breaking news and headlines.
Twitter List: Reporters and Editors (https://twitter.com/#%21/NYTNational/nyt-national-journalists/members)
Enlarge This Image
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/06/07/us/nsa-2/nsa-2-articleInline.jpg
Patrick Semansky/Associated Press The N.S.A. and other government agencies declined to comment about the disclosures.
Readers’ Comments
Share your thoughts.
Post a Comment » (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/08/us/national-security-agency-surveillance.html?smid=fb-nytimes&WT.z_sma=US_SLL_20130607&_r=0#postcomment)
Read All Comments (187) » (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/08/us/national-security-agency-surveillance.html?smid=fb-nytimes&WT.z_sma=US_SLL_20130607&_r=0#comments)
“Nobody is listening to your telephone calls,” Mr. Obama said, delivering a 14-minute answer to two questions about the surveillance programs at an event that was initially supposed to be devoted to the health care law. “That’s not what this program is about.”
The president’s remarks, during a four-day trip to the West Coast, were his first since the revelations this week of programs to collect information about phone calls and Internet traffic. Mr. Obama said the programs help prevent terrorist attacks and they are kept in check by rigorous judicial and Congressional oversight.
He acknowledged that the public may be uncomfortable with the broad reach of the formerly secret programs, but he said he believed the government had struck the right balance between the need to fight terrorism and the need to protect privacy.
“You can’t have 100 percent security and then also have 100 percent privacy and zero inconvenience,” Mr. Obama said, repeatedly stressing that the lawmakers from both parties and federal judges were aware of the efforts. “You know, we’re going to have to make some choices as a society.”
Mr. Obama remained silent on Thursday as national security leaks revealed the secret programs for collecting the information, but on Friday he appeared eager to explain them at length. He dismissed what he called “some of the hype” from news reports and emphasized the limits on the programs.
“If the intelligence community actually wants to listen to a telephone call, they have to go back to a federal judge,” Mr. Obama said. He said the collection of information from Internet companies like Google and Apple does not apply to American citizens or people living in the United States.
He repeatedly stressed that the surveillance programs were subject to Congressional oversight. In fact, he suggested that the programs — which he conceded were classified as top secret — were not truly secret because many members of Congress were aware of them.
“What you’ve got is two programs that were originally authorized by Congress, have been repeatedly authorized by Congress,” the president said. “Bipartisan majorities have approved them. Congress is continually briefed on how these are conducted. There are a whole range of safeguards involved. And federal judges are overseeing the entire program throughout.”
Mr. Obama suggested that Congressional debate behind closed doors should offer the public some confidence that the surveillance is not being abused. He said that those members of Congress — and the judges on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court — were watching the process.
“If in fact there were abuses taking place, then presumably, those members of Congress could raise those issues.” Mr. Obama said. “They are empowered to do so.”
“If people can’t trust not only the executive branch but also don’t trust Congress and don’t trust federal judges to make sure that we’re abiding by the Constitution, due process and rule of law, then we’re going to have some problems here,” he said.
The president also said he welcomed a more public debate over the future of such surveillance programs and what should be the appropriate balance between civil liberties and the need to maintain national security. But he said there “are some tradeoffs involved” in that debate.
“My assessment and my team’s assessment was that they help us prevent terrorist attacks,” Mr. Obama said.
Asked about government leaks that revealed the existence of the programs, the president defended the system of classifications that keeps information secret. And he suggested that such leaks make it harder for the government to protect Americans.
1
2 (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/08/us/national-security-agency-surveillance.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0&smid=fb-nytimes)
3 (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/08/us/national-security-agency-surveillance.html?pagewanted=3&_r=0&smid=fb-nytimes)