Demanding Answers from Obama, Vern Buchanan Attacks NSA on Phone Records

On Friday, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., demanded President Barack Obama provide answers after reports emerged that the National Security Agency (NSA) gathered information on Americans from phone records from AT&T, BellSouth and Verizon

The American people dont want the government snooping into their private lives, said Buchanan, who is a member of the Privacy Caucus. They deserve answers as to why this amount of information was deemed vital to national security.

Our strength as a nation flows from the values and freedoms laid out in the Constitution, including the right against unreasonable searches and seizures, Buchanan added.

It is a slippery slope if we allow our basic freedoms to be eroded in the name of security, said Buchanan in conclusion. I urge the president to explain to all Americans why these intrusive programs are necessary in combating threats of terrorism.