Facing a global uproar over the programs that track phone and Internet messages around the world, the Justice Department continued to investigate whether the disclosures of Edward Snowden, 29, an employee of government contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, were criminal.
Meanwhile, the European Parliament planned to debate the spy programs today and whether they have violated local privacy protections. EU officials in Brussels pledged to seek answers from US diplomats at a trans-Atlantic ministerial meeting in Dublin later this week.
Officials in Germany and the European Union issued calm but firm complaints yesterday over two National Security Agency programs that target suspicious foreign messages potentially including phone numbers, email, images, video and other online communications transmitted through US providers.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague tried to assure Parliament that the spy programs do not encroach on UK privacy laws.
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"There's very little trust in the government, and that's for good reason," said Rep Adam Schiff, a Democrat who sits on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee. "We're our own worst enemy."
Republican House Speaker John Boehner, however, said he believes President Barack Obama has fully explained why the program is needed. He told ABC's "Good Morning America" today that "the disclosure of this information puts Americans at risk. It shows our adversaries what our capabilities are and it's a giant violation of the law." He called Snowden a "traitor."