Despite all the debate over the NSA and PRISM, the public still has no idea as to the full extent of the surveillance program. That's according to Loretta Sanchez, a House Democrat briefed by officials today on the program:
The federal surveillance programs revealed in media reports are just "the tip of the iceberg," a House Democrat said Wednesday.
Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) said lawmakers learned "significantly more" about the spy programs at the National Security Agency (NSA) during a briefing on Tuesday with counterterrorism officials.
"What we learned in there," Sanchez said, "is significantly more than what is out in the media today."
Sanchez speculated about (and almost seemed to be hoping for?) an additional whistleblower stepping forward:
"I can't speak to what we learned in there, and I don't know if there are other leaks, if there's more information somewhere, if somebody else is going to step up, but I will tell you that I believe it's the tip of the iceberg," she said.
Another California Democrat, Brad Sherman, made reference to "a billion records a day" being collected.
All the more reason why transparency is desperately needed here. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden's bill to declassify the legal rationale for the program seems like a logical (and quite reasonable) first step.
Unfortunately, according to Dick Durbin, the Obama administration does not support this effort:
"I encourage this, although I think it is going to be ill-fated," said Durbin, adding that he doesn't think President Barack Obama would sign it into law if it reached his desk.