Harkin: Programs that monitor Internet use and phone data may violate the Patriot Act

U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said Thursday the National Security Agency's programs to monitor Internet use and gather phone data may violate the Patriot Act, and he urged lengthy hearings into the matter.

In a conference call with Iowa reporters, the longtime senator said he didn't trust NSA claims the programs thwarted terrorist attacks.

“I have deep concerns about what's going on and I think we need really lengthy, involved hearings on this,” Harkin said. “I think there's enough evidence out there that in this Prism and some of the other things, they may have gone beyond really what they were supposed to do under the Patriot Act,” the post-9/11 law that broadened the authority of law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

The law was passed overwhelmingly by Congress, and while it's been the target of civil libertarians, several pieces of it have been reauthorized.

Disclosures a week ago that the government was gathering “metadata” from Verizon customers, as well as separate reports that it was monitoring Internet activity through a program called Prism, have created a firestorm. The Obama administration, along with lawmakers with knowledge of the programs, have defended them.

On Wednesday, NSA Director Keith Alexander said “dozens” of plots had been thwarted using the programs.

Asked about those comments Thursday, Harkin said he wouldn't take the intelligence agencies at their word and he urged President Obama to “get a handle” on the situation.

Harkin said it was his belief that Obama had simply followed the pattern of previous presidents. “I don't know that I particularly blame this president. I think this president has fallen into the same trap as so many presidents before him. They just tend to accept what the intelligence community's telling them, and they just keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger,” Harkin said.