Rep. Peter King on Sunday criticized President Obama for pushing for National Security Agency reform after the advisory panel found no abuses by the spying agency in last week’s report.
“I wish the President would step forward and defend the NSA,” King said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “What does he want to reform if it’s working?”
King blamed the “hysteria” over NSA surveillance practices on Edward Snowden.
“Edward Snowden was a defector and a traitor,” he said. “This is all to me a debate generated by the hysteria caused by Edward Snowden. And why we’re listening to him is beyond me.”
King said that the NSA has not overstepped its authority and that it is necessary for the safety of the American people.
“I don’t think everyone has to know what a spy agency is doing,” he said. “I think it’s absolutely indispensable to our national security.”
