@EdinVA For me, it comes down to a simple question. Either Clapper and Co. or Snowden are lying...
No,there is also the possibility/PROBABILITY they were both lying.
Clapper stated under oath that the NSA was NOT spying on Americans and Snowden says they are.
Clapper said Snowden did NOT escalated his concerns, Snowden said he did.
See the above.
The feds do NOT have unlimited authority, to include the NSA so when the deep state runs amok and is protecting itself, what do you do? Stick your head in the sand and keep cashing the checks....
Agreed,but that does NOT mean they do NOT have the authority to do this when warranted.
Also,the intelligence world is a pretty "murky" place,and that is putting it politely. You get into code word investigations,and you are literally barred from telling anyone what you were doing or anything about the program you are protecting.
I was personally involved with a program widely considered to be "illegal" in Asia. My unit was supposed to be conducting operations in VN,but were actually operating in Laos,Cambodia,and North Vietnam. We were gathering intelligence of enemy troop movements and capabilities,calling in air strikes on them,conducting "POW Snatches" of NVA soldiers,rescuing American pilots that had been shot down,etc,etc,etc.
We were NOT doing this on our own,but at the direction of the Pentagram and the White House. Was it illegal under international law? You bet. We were told when we volunteered for SOG that we would be going in without any US ID,and if captured,the Army would say we were deserters or just AWOL. We could even be executed legally under international law as spys,and some of us were.
SOME people want to whine about this,yet not whisper a word of protest about the North Vietnamese also being there illegally.
Sometimes governments MUST do things that are technically "questionable" or even illegal under international law in order to save the lives of their military members and to win the damn war.
This has been true of EVERY war since the first war was fought under international laws.
There are also situations were exposing one covert program to the enemy also risks exposing another that is of great benefit. So the negotiators and politicians lie. Big Whoop. This ain't kindergarten. This is real life where real lives are at risk,as well as the survival of nations.