NSA Doesn't Deny Spying on Members of Congress (Congressmen, activist, health care)

[Member1]

NSA statement does not deny 'spying' on members of Congress | World news | theguardian.com

[freightshaker]

Why should they be held to a different standard than the rest of us? The NSA spies on us, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Congress appropriates funding for the NSA, let them deal with them.

[HappyTexan]

Power begets more power.
And the more they get to know the more they want to know.
They are turning on themselves now

[freightshaker]

When will they start eating their young??

[CDusr]

Originally Posted by HappyTexan

Power begets more power.
And the more they get to know the more they want to know.
They are turning on themselves now

They are paid to target and extract. I have seen nothing to make me think that there are any boundaries they will not cross if they are able. However, they don't seem alone in this.
Amazing what you can get people to do isn't it?

[Gungnir]

It was a pretty softball question...

"whether it had currently or in the past ever spied on members of congress or other elected American officials"

Well it did during Watergate. There's no denying that. So the "No" option is off the table, "Yes" could be said, and they could point at Watergate and say they did then, and we're no further forward, because it hasn't really answered the question.

Not denying is the smart answer, you haven't lied by saying "no" and you haven't admitted anything, and you can point at other known examples of when the NSA has spied (legitimately or not but in known events) on US congressmen and elected officials.

Ideally Saunders would have worded it thus.
Have you ever spied on any members of congress or elected American officials?
Are currently spying on any members of congress or elected American officials?

Because there's much less wiggle room in those two questions than the one question asked. We know the answer to the first question already, Yes, yes they have spied on members of congress or elected American officials. However there's minimal wiggle room in the second question, No means if they are, they're lying and hoping they're not found out, anything else is an assumptive yes.

[NCN]

The biggest concern I have is whether they spied on Supreme Court members. I wonder if the NSA could be our biggest national security problem. I have found some of the decisions coming from the Supreme Court really strange and out of character for some of its members. One gigantic example would be the health care case. There is no way this law should have been found constitutional.

[freightshaker]

Originally Posted by NCN

The biggest concern I have is whether they spied on Supreme Court members. I wonder if the NSA could be our biggest national security problem. I have found some of the decisions coming from the Supreme Court really strange and out of character for some of its members. One gigantic example would be the health care case. There is no way this law should have been found constitutional.

It was found constitutional because we now have an activist Supreme Court.

[HappyHarley]

Originally Posted by freightshaker

It was found constitutional because we now have an activist Supreme Court.

Or maybe just old fashioned blackmail

[bluesjuke]