Spy Agencies Under Heaviest Scrutiny Since Abuse Scandal of the ’70s -- New York Times
American intelligence agencies, which experienced a boom in financing and public support in the decade after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, have entered a period of broad public scrutiny and skepticism with few precedents since the exposure of spying secrets and abuses led to the historic investigation by the Senate’s Church Committee nearly four decades ago.
On three fronts — interrogation, drone strikes and now electronic surveillance — critics inside and outside Congress have challenged the intelligence establishment, accusing officials of overreaching, misleading the public and covering up abuse and mistakes. With alarm over the threat of terrorism in slow decline despite the Boston Marathon attack in April, Americans of both parties appear to be no longer willing to give national security automatic priority over privacy and civil liberties.
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My Comment: This scrutiny actually started with the CIA rendition and interrogation program of Al Qaeda suspects a few years ago. Edward Snowden's detailed exposure of the NSA surveillance programs and the secrecy that surrounds them have naturally raised even more questions from the public .... and the politicians are responding accordingly. I personally hope that this debate continues .... but the intelligence community and their political supporters in both political parties are very good at deflecting critcisms, and I expect them to the same thing with this debate on the NSA'a surveillance powers.
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