NSA was busted for tapping all of Merkel’s telephone and email communications causing harm to our relationship with Germany – a key ally in the war on terror. McCain’s statement reflects that he just doesn’t understand that this “harm” should have never been allowed in the first place. He also seems to blame Snowden for revealing that information – when he should be questing the NSA on why they were doing it in the first place.
U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) released the following statement on President Obama’s remarks on intelligence activities on January 17, 2014:
“President Obama’s speech today left many crucial questions unanswered. Now is the time for Congress to improve how it executes its constitutional oversight duties, to examine certain signals intelligence collection activities and practices, and to ensure that we are fulfilling our obligation to protect both the security of our nation and the freedom of our citizens. The vital issues at stake here are complex, broad and cut across many areas of jurisdiction of established congressional committees, including national security, intelligence, technology, commerce, foreign affairs, and privacy.”
“That is why I will introduce legislation to establish a Senate Select Committee to examine all of these important issues and questions.”
“Recent disclosures of these activities and practices have caused grave damage to the United States. They have harmed our relations with friends and allies and harmed our ability to combat threats to the United States. It is more important than ever for Congress to exercise effective oversight and, where necessary, to enact legislation to address these issues which are vital to American national security. The establishment of a Select Committee is essential to fulfilling this critical task” he said (Source: http://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=bfb5e379-7c8c-4df5-b9a7-460a0c2dfa38).
McCains’s statements reflects an incredulous attitude toward the illegality of such things as spying on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s private telephone conversations.
Angela Dorothea Merkel is a German politician and former research scientist, who has been the Chancellor of Germany since 2005 and the leader of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000. She is certainly not a terrorist!
Merkel accused the United States of breaching trust after the cellphone bugging allegations became public in October 2013.