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WYDEN QUESTIONS INTELLIGENCE CHIEFS
ON DOMESTIC SURVEILLANCE, TERROR THREATS
February 02, 2006
Washington, DC – U.S. Senator
Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) questioned Director of National Intelligence
John D. Negroponte and NSA Chief General Michael Hayden at a hearing
of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence today on issues
of domestic surveillance and terrorist threats worldwide. In today’s
hearing, Wyden said that the right position on NSA wiretapping
should be to say “trust, but verify,” allowing Congress
the opportunity to do effective oversight to verify citizens are
being adequately protected.
Selections from the transcript of
today’s hearing follow:
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden
Transcript of Hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
on the Worldwide Terror Threat
WYDEN: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Director, you didn't mention Vanuatu, an island nation in
the South Pacific, but you seemed to cover everywhere else, and
I welcome you.
To me, just because effective intelligence-gathering requires
a high degree of secrecy, the Bush administration can't be excused
from reasonable standards of accountability. So I have essentially
two questions to start with with respect to accountability.
When it has been determined that an American monitored under the
NSA eavesdropping program is no longer a threat, what is done
with the information collected on that U.S. person, Mr. Director?
NEGROPONTE: Sir, again, I don't think in this context...
WYDEN: Are there restrictions on how that information is used?
NEGROPONTE: Let me give you a general reply which I think goes
to your question.
NEGROPONTE: Whether you're talking about one program or another
with respect to NSA, those programs are under the strictest possible
oversight. They are reviewed legally with the greatest of care.
There are very senior managers involved in their administration.
And as far as American persons or American individuals are concerned,
protections are taken, should their names come up in various kinds
of intelligence that is collected, to minimize and protect their
identities.
This has been a standard procedure of the NSA for the many, many
years that it's been in its existence.
General Hayden may want to amplify.
WYDEN: Mr. Director, that answer isn't good enough for me. That
answer is essentially: "Trust us. The Congress and the public
just have to trust us."
And Ronald Reagan put it very well. He said, "Trust, but
verify."
And we have no way to verify that citizens are being protected
the way you have outlined today.
Now maybe, General Hayden, you want to add to that.
HAYDEN: Sir, I'll just add very quickly: This is lawfully acquired
signals intelligence. And the body of regulations under which
NSA operates day in and day out, in terms of protecting U.S. privacy,
in terms of protecting information to, from or about a U.S. person,
apply to the use, retention and destruction of that data.and day
out, in terms of protecting U.S. privacy, in terms of protecting
information to, from or about a U.S. person, apply to the use,
retention and destruction of that data.
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