01:02USA: NSA phone tapping has not prevented terrorist attacks
USA: NSA phone tapping has not prevented terrorist attacks
The Senate Judiciary Committee met on Tuesday with members of the NSA review panel to discuss the 300-page long list of recommendations the panel had compiled to lead reforms of how the intelligence agency operates after information leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden laid bare the extent of the agency's reach.
"It is absolutely true that the 215 programme has not played a significant role in disrupting any terrorist attacks to this point, said Michael Morrell," a panel member and former deputy director of the CIA.
"That is a different statement than saying the programme is not important. The programme, as I said in the op-ed, only has to be successful once to be invaluable. It does carry the potential going forward to prevent a catastrophic attack on the United States."
"If you have a terrorist overseas who is talking about an attack, and you don't know where that attack is going to be, it is invaluable to query the 215 database. If the answer is that that terrorist doesn't have any contacts in the United States, that gives you some reassurance that the attack will not be here."
President Obama is expected to respond to the panel's work in a speech at the Justice Department on Friday.
01:02USA: NSA phone tapping has not prevented terrorist attacks
The Senate Judiciary Committee met on Tuesday with members of the NSA review panel to discuss the 300-page long list of recommendations the panel had compiled to lead reforms of how the intelligence agency operates after information leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden laid bare the extent of the agency's reach.
"It is absolutely true that the 215 programme has not played a significant role in disrupting any terrorist attacks to this point, said Michael Morrell," a panel member and former deputy director of the CIA.
"That is a different statement than saying the programme is not important. The programme, as I said in the op-ed, only has to be successful once to be invaluable. It does carry the potential going forward to prevent a catastrophic attack on the United States."
"If you have a terrorist overseas who is talking about an attack, and you don't know where that attack is going to be, it is invaluable to query the 215 database. If the answer is that that terrorist doesn't have any contacts in the United States, that gives you some reassurance that the attack will not be here."
President Obama is expected to respond to the panel's work in a speech at the Justice Department on Friday.