Manchin: Obama should stop ‘broad base’ surveillance

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) is urging President Obama to end a broad national security surveillance program that involves collecting data from telephone calls and Internet use.

{mosads}”Sure, it bothers me, and I think it bothers you and every other American. It should be stopped as far as the broad base that they’re doing,” Manchin said in an interview with Bloomberg Television.

The Obama administration admitted Thursday that the National Security Agency (NSA) had been obtaining information on phone calls and also Internet traffic information from companies like Facebook and Google.

On Friday, President Obama defended the programs, which were disclosed in news reports earlier in the week. Obama said that the programs were essentially for national security and that nobody was “listening to your telephone calls.”

“You can’t have 100 percent security and also have 100 percent privacy and zero inconvenience. We’re going to have to make some choices as a government,” Obama said after a speech in California. “You can complain about big brother and how this is a potential program run amok, but when you actually look at the details, I think we’ve struck the right balance.”

Obama also said members of Congress had been aware of the NSA data collection programs. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said he knew vague details about the program but not the specifics.

“It’s not something that’s briefed outside the Intelligence Committee,” Merkley said on MSNBC. “I had to get special permission to find out about the program. It raises concerns for me … When I saw what was being done, I felt it was so out of sync with the plain language of the law that it merited full public examination, and that’s why I called for the declassification.”

Manchin, in the Bloomberg interview, said he was fine with collecting information on people suspected of committing terrorism but as it is, the data collection program seemed to be too broad.

“If there’s a profile and targeting that goes on, then fine. I’m wanting to do everything I can to fight the war on terror,” Manchin said. 

“There will not be another day in my life, my children or grandchildren’s life they won’t have to be vigilant against terrorists wanting to do us harm. But do you give up everything as an American? I think the Patriot Act and the interpretation and way it’s being enforced is broader than what we would have intended.”