WASHINGTON -- The massive National Security Agency collection of telephone
records disclosed Wednesday was part of a continuing program that has been in
effect nonstop since 2006, according to the two top leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
“As far as I know, this is the exact three-month renewal of what has been in
place for the past seven years," Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) told reporters
Thursday. The surveillance “is lawful” and Congress has been fully briefed on the practice,
she added.
Her Republican counterpart, Saxby Chambliss, concurred: "This is nothing new.
This has been going on for seven years,” he said. “Every member of the United States Senate has been advised of this.
To my knowledge there has not been any citizen who has registered a complaint.
It has proved meritorious because we have collected significant information on
bad guys, but only on bad guys, over the years."
records disclosed Wednesday was part of a continuing program that has been in
effect nonstop since 2006, according to the two top leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
“As far as I know, this is the exact three-month renewal of what has been in
place for the past seven years," Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) told reporters
Thursday. The surveillance “is lawful” and Congress has been fully briefed on the practice,
she added.
Her Republican counterpart, Saxby Chambliss, concurred: "This is nothing new.
This has been going on for seven years,” he said. “Every member of the United States Senate has been advised of this.
To my knowledge there has not been any citizen who has registered a complaint.
It has proved meritorious because we have collected significant information on
bad guys, but only on bad guys, over the years."