WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- President Obama met Tuesday with experts leading a review of the National Security Agency to thank them for their probe of U.S. intelligence and communications.
"On Aug. 9, President Obama called for a high-level group of experts to review our intelligence and communications technologies," the White House said in a statement. "Today the president met with the members of this group: Richard Clarke, Michael Morell, Geoffrey Stone, Cass Sunstein and Peter Swire.
"These individuals bring to the task immense experience in national security, intelligence, oversight, privacy and civil liberties. The Review Group will bring a range of experience and perspectives to bear to advise the President on how, in light of advancements in technology, the United States can employ its technical collection capabilities in a way that optimally protects our national security and advances our foreign policy while respecting our commitment to privacy and civil liberties, recognizing our need to maintain the public trust, and reducing the risk of unauthorized disclosure," the statement said.
Obama thanked the experts and said he looks forward to hearing from them as their work proceeds. The group will brief their interim findings to Obama through National Intelligence Director James Clapper and will provide a final report and recommendations to the president, the White House said.
The Obama administration earlier this month clarified Clapper would not lead the review group and the experts would not report to him.
