White House Stands by Hayden Nomination

Emblem of the National Security Agency. It was reported on Thursday, May 11,2006, that the government is secretly collecting record of ordinary Americans' phone calls in an effort to build a database of every call made.

WASHINGTON -- The White House continued to stand by its nominee for CIA director, Gen. Michael Hayden, amid new controversy over the surveillance programs he piloted as head of the National Security Agency.

Hayden was to meet with senators on Friday, his fifth day of face-to-face sessions on Capitol Hill since a Monday morning breakfast with Senate Intelligence Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan.

"We're full steam ahead on his nomination," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Thursday.

Lawmakers have been demanding information from the Bush administration about the NSA's efforts to collect records on millions of Americans' phone calls.

The disclosure, reported in Thursday editions of USA Today, could complicate President Bush's bid to win Hayden's confirmation. It also renewed concerns about civil liberties and questions about the legal underpinnings for the government's actions.

Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., said the NSA was using the data to analyze calling patterns in order to detect and track suspected terrorist activity, according to information provided to him by the White House.

"Telephone customers' names, addresses and other personal information have not been handed over to NSA as part of this program," Allard said.

The president on Thursday sought to assure Americans their civil liberties were "fiercely protected."

"The government does not listen to domestic phone calls without court approval," said Bush, without confirming the NSA program. "We're not mining or trolling through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans."

"Everything that NSA does is lawful and very carefully done," Hayden said Thursday as he made the rounds on Capitol Hill. "The appropriate members of the Congress _ the House and Senate _ are briefed on all NSA activities."

Several lawmakers expressed incredulity about the program, with some Republicans questioning its rationale and several Democrats railing about a lack of congressional oversight.

"I'm not sure why it would be necessary to keep and have that kind of information," said House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, who wanted more details.