The Obama Administration and defenders of the domestic surveillance programs that were disclosed last week went on the offensive this week, seeking to defend against charges that the government was invading the privacy of law-abiding Americans.
National Security Agency Director Gen. Keith Alexander told the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday that the domestic surveillance programs disclosed last week have aided the agency’s efforts to combat terrorism. According to General Alexander, “it’s dozens of terrorist events that these have helped prevent…. Both here and abroad, in disrupting, or contributing to the disruption of terrorist attacks.”