To Repair the Damage Done in NSA Blow Up, Start with James Clapper

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http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/post-nsa-blow-investigate-clappers-misconduct

With the conviction of Bradley Manning and asylum granted to Edward Snowden in Russia, it may be time to turn attention away from the controversy over their actions and toward the government -- specifically, the intelligence community. Whatever ultimate judgment is leveled on Manning's or Snowden's actions, they have raised real questions about the ways that the United States gathers, uses and classifies information.

The first order of business is to restore a semblance of democratic order within the government itself. Somehow amid the hunt for Snowden and the trial of Manning, the misconduct of James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, has seemingly been excused. But if the actions of Manning and Snowden required prosecution, then what Clapper did deserves investigation and censure at the very least.

Testifying on surveillance by the National Security Agency last March, Clapper appeared at a Senate committee hearing where Senator Ron Wyden asked: "Does the NSA collect any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans?"

"No, sir," Clapper replied. The he added:"Not wittingly."