Tom Coburn:" NSA's egregious, unacceptable violations were not allowed to continue—they were corrected"

Correspondence from Sen. Coburn over NSA's liberty violations.

Thank you for your email regarding National Security Agency (NSA) programs in relation to Americans’ constitutional rights. It is good to hear from you.

 

The War on Terror is being fought not only in foreign lands, but within our country. We must be cautious not to give away our freedom in the name of national security, but I believe we can balance our national security and the freedoms we enjoy to ensure that an attack, such as the ones that occurred on September 11, 2001—never happens again.

 

As long as I have served in Congress, my top priority has been to protect Americans’ constitutional rights. Whether it has been protecting Americans from legislation which would infringe on their Second Amendment rights, United Nations treaties which infringe on our nation’s sovereignty, or unconstitutional Obama Administration policies, I have, and will continue, to ensure Americans rights and freedoms are protected.

 

There has been considerable speculation in the press about a number of NSA programs after the unauthorized disclosure of classified information by NSA contractor Edward Snowden. I understand why many Americans were outraged upon first hearing about the programs, but much of the information reported has been inaccurate and incomplete. As a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I have provided oversight on these programs for a number of years, and I do not believe the fundamental structure of the program infringes upon the constitutional rights of American citizens. As you know, mistakes and violations have occurred at the NSA have been reported. These violations were not allowed to continue—they were corrected. Furthermore, these mistakes and violations were egregious, unacceptable, and must never be tolerated from any government agency.

 

As a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, my top priority is to protect and defend the Constitution and the rights of American citizens. I will continue to oppose all legislation and government programs that threaten Americans’ freedom and liberty.

 

Again, thank you for your input on this important topic. God bless.

 

Sincerely,

Tom A. Coburn, M.D.

United States Senator

 

TC: jw

Seems like a funny thing to claim that NSA violations were corrected. The president hasn't even acted on his commission's recommendations yet, we should hear about those in the coming weeks before his SOTU address where I'm guessing he will pivot to the mid-term strategy of income-inequality.