Transcripts For CSPAN2 After Words 20140209

We are a source of much of the intelligence that these countries have about terrorism threats to their countries. They dont want to set off the spigot of cia information. Its not because they love the cia but because they need us. And so its inevitable. I think the culture i dont want to say cynical but its realistic, this too shall pass. When you know where the prisons are new look at those relationships were any of them permanently ruptured . On the contrary. Guest its uncomfortable and its embarrassing but i dont think any damage is permanent. Host can you talk for a minute, its not in your book but you referred to it and again you are in a perfect spot to reflect on it for all the reasons you just stated that the snowden documents and what that has revealed. There are some people that are saying you should get some kind of deal for telling the government would be released. First talk about what is your feeling about the revelations . Were you surprised to learn about what the nsa was doing . Guest they cover such a wide swath of activity. Some of what has come out publicly i wasnt surprised about it. They knew what the nsa was doing at the time. Host metadata in. Guest that wasnt a surprise and it certainly wasnt surprised about the electronic surveillance activities overseas against foreigners and foreign governments. None of that was surprising. What was a surprise to me was the massive amount of data and information snowden had access to. I mean some of the revelations are coming out every few days in the latest revelation i never even knew that was going on. This 29yearold sitting out a number mote outpost and why he can get the stuff that i is a chief legal officer of the cia couldnt have gotten to that when i was there. Host do you think it is created a worthwhile debate as we wrap up here . [laughter] guest i think the debate is good on the metadata and the surveillance phone records. I think that is valuable and fruitful. I wish they had come about it in a different way. I dont think that would have happened without the snowden disclosure but he disclosed so much else that had nothing to do with the american constitution. I think it was hugely damaging and reprehensible. Host do you think its damaging because the technology cannot adapt quick enough to learn how to do things differently or what is so damaging about it . You just said that many of these countries will continue working with us. Guest inevitably but it will have a Chilling Effect for a while. There will be more for reluctance on their part to share what they have and while its not going to be permanent what happens if there is some information about a terrorist attack and for red of her recent echoes of the Political Climate and in because of what snowden created that information is not passed through that is what i worry about. Host we are out of time and this has to be my last question. Where our government is certainly the cia needs to just assume that things are going to get out and they have been in other words secrets will not remain secret especially in this environment where we depend on the internet for i. T. To keep the secrets and they have to calibrate that an act differently . Guest i talked about this before. There were leaks when i joined the cia 35 weeks ago. Leaks are a fact of life in the intelligence business and the u. S. Community as you know. We have to just live with that and reconcile with it. They are inexorable seemingly but our National Leaders and intelligence leadership have to factor in the inevitability as we are sitting here. Host okay, thank you so much