Clapper did not lie to Congress on NSA, says national intelligence counsel

• Robert Litt writes to New York Times to deny allegation
• Says 'inaccurate' testimony could not be corrected publicly

• Martin Pengelly in New York
• 
  
• theguardian.com, Saturday 4 January 2014 12.42 EST

Robert Litt is general counsel to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Photograph: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

Robert Litt, the general counsel to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, has written to the New York Times to deny the allegation that James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, lied to Congress about the collection of bulk phone records by the National Security Agency (NSA).
Citing an editorial entitled “Edward Snowden, Whistle-Blower” which was published on Thursday, Litt wrote that the newspaper “repeats the allegation that James R Clapper Jr … 'lied' to Congress about the collection of bulk telephony metadata” and added: “As a witness to the relevant events and a participant in them, I know that allegation is not true.”
The Times editorial called for Snowden, a former NSA contractor who leaked thousands of files on the agency's surveillance practices to media outlets including the Guardian, to be offered “a plea bargain or some form of clemency that would allow him to return home”. It also listed a number of what it called “violations” which he had revealed.
Among such violations, the editorial said: “His leaks revealed that James Clapper Jr, the director of national intelligence, lied to Congress when testifying in March that the NSA was not collecting data on millions of Americans. (There has been no discussion of punishment for that lie.)”

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