Obama Culling Verizon Phone Data Defended as Terror Shield
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The Obama administration and Senate Intelligence Committee leaders of both parties defended the secret collection of telephone records of millions of U.S. residents as critical to combating terrorism, with one lawmaker saying such surveillance thwarted a “significant” plot.
As some members of Congress condemned the program as an intrusion in the lives of innocent Americans, the White House said Congress was regularly updated and all rules were followed. Lawmakers confirmed they knew of the classified court order compelling Verizon Communications Inc. to provide data on its customers’ calls, continuing a George W. Bush administration policy that sparked a national controversy.