Feinstein ‘Open’ to Hearings on Surveillance Programs

By BRIAN KNOWLTON, NYT

Senator Dianne Feinstein, the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a defender of the phone and Internet surveillance programs that have come into public view in recent days, said on Sunday that she would consider holding hearings about them.

“I’m open to doing a hearing every month, if that’s necessary,” she said on the ABC program “This Week.”

But, she added, “Here’s the rub: the instances where this has produced good — has disrupted plots, prevented terrorist attacks, is all classified, that’s what’s so hard about this.”

n news reports, based on leaked government documents, that revealed details about the surveillance programs run by the National Security Agency. The president said he welcomed a debate over the right balance between security and privacy.

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