WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bob Corker, R-Tenn., ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, made the following statement in response to President Obama’s speech today about NSA surveillance programs.
“The continued leaks of classified information threaten our security, undermining the gathering of intelligence information necessary to keep us safe. Having received detailed briefings in recent months, including at the NSA, about these programs, I believe our intelligence professionals are committed to following the law and protecting the civil liberties of innocent Americans. At the same time, I’m willing to consider appropriate changes that would strengthen existing oversight and restore public confidence but not at the expense of essential intelligence gathering. While we will need much more detail on the president’s new policies before passing final judgment, I am concerned that some of his proposals go too far, limiting our ability to protect the nation with little benefit to civil liberties of Americans,” said Corker.
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