that came out this month, "why nudge? the politics of libertarian paternalism." thank you very much. >> thank you. i enjoyed it. ♪ [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] >> for free transcripts or to give us your comments about this q&a.org. visit us at "q&a" programs are also available as c-span podcasts. next, british deputy prime minister nick clegg taking questions from members of the house of commons. then reaction to allegations that the cia searched senate computers. after that, another chance to see "q&a" with former obama administration official cass sunstein talking about his book "why nudge?" on the next "washington

journal," michael allen, author discussesng red," allegations of cia spied on senate staffers. then politico health to reporter kyle cheney looks at the obama administration's effort to get young adults, african-americans, and hispanics to sign up for health care insurance. former assistant treasury secretary phillip swingle talks about the five-year anniversary of the home affordable modification program. we will be looking for your calls, and you can join the conversation on facebook and twitter. at 7ington journal," live a.m. eastern -- 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> on wednesday, british deputy prime minister nick clegg answered questions from members of parliament on behalf of premised or david cameron who was on his first official visit to israel. labour leader harriet harman represented the opposition side. the deputy prime ministers spoke about humanitarian efforts in syria and urged allies to

continue working with the u.n. on russia and ukraine. he also answered questions on the national health service, britain's automobile industry, and unemployment. this is just over 30 minutes. >> i have been asked to reply on behalf of my right honorable friend the prime minister, who is visiting israel and the occupied palestinian territories. i am sure that the whole house will wish to join me in paying tribute to sapper adam moralee from 32 engineer regiment, who tragically died in camp bastion on 5 march. he will be greatly missed by his family and friends, and our deepest sympathies are with them at this time. on a happier note, i am sure the whole house would also like to join me in paying tribute to our first team gb winter paralympic gold medal winner, kelly gallagher, and her team mate, jade etherington, who has won silver and bronze medals at the

sochi games. i, of course, wish to send the best of luck to the other team gb competitors. this morning, i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. in addition to my duties in this house, i shall have further such meetings later today. >> may i, too, send my sympathies, thoughts and prayers to the family of sapper moralee and my congratulations to kelly gallagher, from northern ireland of course, who competed and won the first gold medal? given rising racism and xenophobia, including recent racist attacks in my constituency, what more can the government do to ensure that the public debate on issues such as european union membership and immigration is more balanced and celebrates the huge positive contribution made to the social, cultural and economic life of the uk, particularly in the run-up to the european elections? >> of course i agree with the honorable lady that we need to strike the right balance, explaining to the public that we

are running a tough but firm immigration system where it needs to be tough and firm, but one that is open to those who want to come here, make a contribution, pay their taxes and contribute to our way of life. i was deeply saddened and shocked to hear about the incidents and what had happened to members of the polish and chinese community in her constituency, and even more so to hear about what has happened to her colleague anna lo, member of the legislative assembly. i understand that she is the first member of chinese descent in any legislature in europe, but she, too, has been subject to terrible abuse by bullies and racists. i rang her a few weeks ago to express my support for what she is doing to stand up against that terrible treatment. >> since a £700 tax cut, free school meals and the pupil premium will improve the opportunities and lives of many of my constituents, even though these ideas were not entirely welcome to some among our coalition partners, will my

right honorable friend welcome the fact that coalition government and the compromises that go with it can deliver sound policies? >> yes, i strongly agree with my right honorable friend, especially on those policies. one of them, as he will know, is in the papers this morning, because of the slightly inexplicable views of an entirely unknown if highly opinionated ex-party adviser to the conservative party about free school meals. free school meals, when they are delivered for those in infant school in september, will save families money, improve the health of children and improve educational outcomes. instead of denigrating that policy, we should be celebrating it. >> i join the deputy prime minister in paying tribute to sapper adam moralee from 32 engineer regiment. we honour his bravery and service, but above all send our

deepest condolences to this family and friends who mourn him. i join the deputy prime minister, too, in congratulating our paralympic medal winners, and wish all team gb the best of luck in the rest of the games. at the last general election, the deputy prime minister said that local people should have more control over their health services. will he explain to the house and the public why last night he voted against that? >> actually, we voted for measures that will ensure that there is local consultation. i am intrigued by the right honorable and learned lady's line of inquiry given the labour party's record on the nhs. we do not need to go any further than what is happening in wales, where the nhs has not met its target since 2009. it was the labour party in government that entered into a succession of sweetheart deals, with the covert privatisation of

large parts of our nhs. i really do not think that, after the francis report and all the other revelations of what happened in the nhs under labour, it has much to stand on. >> the right honorable gentleman is even prepared to justify what he voted on last night. the truth is that the health secretary broke the law that gave local people a say, so decided to change the law. the lib dems could have stepped in and stopped it, but oh no, here is what they did instead. first, they said that they were against the change, then they put down an amendment, then they sold out to the tories -- and the tories got their way again. is there any logic to how the lib dems vote other than self-interest? >> this from a party that spent £250 million on sweetheart deals for the private sector, which led to operations and procedures that did not help a single

patient; a party that now rants and rails against competition in the nhs, but actually introduced it; a party that suffers from collective amnesia about the terrible suffering of the patients in mid staffordshire and other parts of the nhs mismanaged by it. >> hospitals are under threat and they want a say. people will remember what the deputy prime minister has said in the house today. at their spring conference last week, lib dem ministers were falling over themselves to denounce government policies, and even their own departmental colleagues, describing them variously as "unfair", "absurd" and "hated", yet they keep supporting them. take the bedroom tax. the right honorable gentleman's own party president says that the bedroom tax is wrong, unnecessary and causing misery, but they voted for it. now they say they want to

abolish it. are they for the bedroom tax or against it? which is it? >> there are 1.7 million people on the housing waiting lists in our country and there are 1.5 million spare bedrooms. that is a problem that we inherited, like so many problems, from the labour party. we are trying to sort out the mess that it created. if it is incapable of taking any responsibility or expressing any apology for the mess that it has created, why should we take any of the right honorable and learned lady's questions seriously at all? >> the liberal democrats are for the bedroom tax -- only labour will scrap it. the lib dem chief secretary to the treasury said that cutting the top rate of tax would be "cloud cuckoo land". if the lib dems were against this tax cut, why did they vote for it?

>> guess what the top rate of tax was under labour. anybody? was it 50p or 45p? anybody? it was 40p for 13 years, and now the right honorable and learned lady is complaining that it is 5p higher. honestly, if she is going to try to make consistency a virtue, how about this? this week, the labour party has been talking about the need to give young people job opportunities. last week, it tabled an amendment to the deregulation bill which would tell half a million young people on level 2 apprenticeships that they are no longer apprentices. worse than that, it issued a report a few months ago that said that hundreds of thousands of youngsters on level 2 apprenticeships are -- get this -- dead weight. what a kick in the teeth for the young people we should be helping on to apprenticeships. >> we will have a bankers' bonus tax for youth jobs because youth unemployment has doubled --

>> order. i apologise for interrupting the right honorable and learned lady. when both principals have been at the dispatch box, there has been far too much noise. people ought to be able to hear the questions and answers. whether or not members respect each other, they ought to respect the public. >> long-term youth unemployment has doubled under the right honorable gentleman's government. with so many people struggling to make ends meet and many even driven to relying on food banks, it is an absolute disgrace that the lib dems voted through a tax cut for the richest. on sunday, the deputy prime minister shared with us everything that he loves about britain. he loves his cup of tea, he loves the shipping forecast and he loves flip-flops -- not so much footwear for the deputy

prime minister, but certainly a way of life. with his broken promises and posturing, does he not realise that he might love britain, but britain does not love him back? >> the punchline was a long time in the delivery and it was not really worth waiting for. i know that the right honorable and learned lady does not want the facts to get in the way of a pre-prepared joke, but how about this? youth unemployment is lower now than when we came into office. in her last year in office, 1 million more people were in relative poverty than there are now; half a million more children were in relative poverty than there are now; 150,000 more people were unemployed than there are now; and 25,000 more young people were unemployed. what we know is that labour is the party of a 40p top tax rate, of sweetheart deals for the

private sector in the nhs and of fred goodwin -- and now they are the party against apprenticeships. >> what the deputy prime minister has shown is that he is siding with the tories and is totally out of touch. whatever was said last weekend, no one is going to be fooled by the lib dems' phony rows with the tories when week in, week out they are justifying policies at the dispatch box and trotting through the lobby with the tories. they used to talk about two parties coming together in the national interest. now they are two parties bound together by a mutual terror of the electorate. >> however the right honorable and learned lady wishes to characterise things, she has a record that she needs to defend: of boom and bust, of sucking up to the city and of presiding -- >> order. the deputy prime minister's response must be heard.

>> she has a record of an increase in relative poverty, an increase in unemployment and an increase in youth unemployment, and of bequeathing to a generation the country's worst peacetime deficit ever. is that really a record that the right honorable and learned lady is proud of? as ever, we are clearing up the mess that she left behind. >> the government's response to the recent storm damage, to help fishermen and to restore the link at dawlish is very much appreciated, but the severe damage to penzance-scilly and the vital lifeline transport links to the isles of scilly has largely gone unnoticed, and it is not something that local authorities can resolve entirely on their own. will the deputy prime minister ensure that a delegation from my constituency can meet the appropriate ministers and officials, so that we can seek the support necessary to find a long-term and resilient solution to the problem? >> i visited my honorable

friend's constituency to see the damage done to many communities by the terrible floods and extreme weather of recent times. i know how long he has been campaigning on the issue. i will ensure that that meeting takes place with the relevant minister in government. >> this week, it is surely right to extend condolences to the family and friends of bob crow. the secretary of state for defence has issued a ministerial correction in which he corrects the falsehood that there was no measurable change in the radiation discharge at hms vulcan near dounreay. does the deputy prime minister agree that the ministry of defence should be fully answerable to the scottish environment protection agency? >> i also express my condolences to the family and friends of bob

crow. whether one agreed with him or not, he was someone with forthright views, and he always worked tirelessly for what he believed in and for the people he represented. on the issue of dounreay, the ministry of defence sought to be as open as possible. it is important that all of us work together to ensure that the nuclear deterrent is managed and maintained safely, and that is exactly what everyone seeks to do. >> i call mr. peter bone. >> hooray! >> we now know that the leader of the opposition is opposed to an eu referendum and will not deliver one. the deputy prime minister is opposed to an eu referendum and will not deliver one. the leader of the uk independence party wants an eu referendum but cannot deliver one. the prime minister wants an eu referendum and will deliver it by 2017. will the stand-in prime minister tell the house which of the party leaders trusts the british

people and is a real democrat? >> as ever, it is a pleasure! i am glad to see that the honorable gentleman has fans on the labour benches. as he mentions my right honorable friend the prime minister, let me quote what he said at this dispatch box just a couple of years ago when we voted together on this very issue. he said -- "my clear view is that it is when this parliament proposes to give up powers that there should be a referendum. that is the guarantee that we have written into the law of the land. it is important that we try to establish clear rules for the use of referendums in a parliamentary democracy, and i absolutely believe that rule 1, line 1 is -- 'if you're giving up powers that belong to the british people, you should ask them first.'" i entirely agree. that was the government's position then, that was what we legislated on and that remains my view. >> a recent survey of the tuc reckoned that 67% of hard-working people working in private industry will not be getting a rise this year. how does that square with the

fat cats in the city and the bankers getting their big bonuses? >> the richest in society are paying more in every year of this parliament than they did in any year under labour. it was the honorable gentleman's party that let the bankers run amok. it was his party, the party of fred goodwin, that went on a prawn cocktail charm offensive to suck up to the bankers in the first place. it wiped off so much of the value of the british economy -- it amounts to £3,000 lost to every household in the united kingdom. is that a record that he is proud of? >> does the deputy prime minister accept that the measures that have been announced so far have had no impact on president putin and the russian government who are refusing to negotiate with the ukrainian government and continue to strengthen their hold on crimea? will the government now press for targeted economic sanctions against senior members of the russian government and their

supporters in order to reinforce the message that the annexation of crimea is unacceptable and wholly in breach of international law? >> i am sure that my honorable friend speaks for everyone from all parts of the house when he says that we should seek to do everything to deter the russians from making the situation any worse and to de-escalate. that is why it is terribly important that we work together with our american allies and with countries across the european union and use the collective economic and political clout of the european union to set out, as we have done, a ratchet of sanctions, which can and will be deployed if de-escalation does not happen. i hope that that will start very soon with russian agreements to enter into a contact group so that direct talks can start between kiev and moscow. >> on his party's recent defeat

by the bus pass elvis candidate, could not the electorate's message to the deputy prime minister be summarised by paraphrasing the words of a song by the original elvis -- "you ain't nothing but a lapdog"? >> at least we are not the lapdog of the bankers, which is what labour was in office. at least we did not crash the british economy. at least we did not cost every household £3,000. at least we did not preside over an increase in relative poverty. at least we did not preside over an increase in youth unemployment. we are creating the stronger economy and fairer society that the labour party failed to create. >> the deputy prime minister will have been encouraged to hear that the economy is growing faster than expected, showing the value of this government's long-term economic plan. does he share my satisfaction

that that is being achieved through a resurgence in manufacturing? in my constituency, automotive insulations, suppliers to the motor industry, has more than doubled in size over the past three years and is investing in a new 65,000 square feet factory in rugby? >> i strongly agree. by sticking to the plan, despite all the overtures from opposition members to abandon it, we have provided the stability and growth to the british economy that otherwise would not have taken place. we have seen spectacular success in the automotive sector. a vehicle rolls of a british production line every 20 seconds. we are producing more cars than ever before. of course, the labour party presided over a decline in manufacturing three times greater than that which happened in the 1980s. >> last week my constituents in clifton north elected a new labour councilor. does the deputy prime minister think that it was his party's

support for the bedroom tax, the trebling of tuition fees, unfair cuts to the poorest families or the betrayal of the nhs that led my constituents to put the buss pass elvis candidate ahead of the liberal democrats? >> putting buss pass elvis aside for a moment -- i admit that it was a novel experience for us, as it no doubt was for the people of clifton -- did the labour candidate admit that labour cost every household in clifton £3,000? did it admit that labour allowed the bankers to run amok in 2008? did it admit that labour was the party that crashed the british economy? did anyone on the doorstep apologise to the people of clifton for what the labour party did to this country? >> the cotswolds is a very special place because of stewardship and planning, yet in

the past year that has been threatened by thousands of applications for new houses. localism seems to have gone out the window and the area of outstanding natural beauty is simply not being protected. what can my right honorable friend do to help resolve that? >> i know that my honorable friend feels very strongly about this. there are strong planning protections in place for areas of outstanding natural beauty, which are some of this country's most important treasures, as he rightly said. the national planning policy framework is clear that great weight should be given to conserving areas of outstanding natural beauty, which have the highest level of protection. he might be interested to know that we announced only last week that areas of outstanding natural beauty and national parks will be excluded from new legislation allowing agricultural buildings to be converted into housing without the need for planning applications. >> can the deputy prime minister confirm that if the independent review body on health service

staff pay recommends an increase the government will accept that advice, or will they freeze the pay of some of the lowest earners in the nhs for yet another year? >> we will make the announcement on our views of the pay review body's recommendations shortly, but what we want to do is protect what is now the highest number of nurses employed in the nhs since it was founded. we need to ensure that the nhs continues to employ more clinical staff, rather than fewer, as happened under labour, to ensure that patients get the best possible treatment under the nhs. >> on monday, south korean newspapers said that north korea was due to execute 33 people for having had contact with a christian missionary. given that a quarter of a

million people are in north korean prison camps, will the deputy prime minister urge the bbc world service to use its existing transmitters to broadcast into north korea, especially as more and more north koreans now have access to radios? >> the honorable gentleman raises a very important issue. as he knows, our embassy in pyongyang continues to engage critically with the north korean regime and tries to ensure that there are as many opportunities for dialogue as possible, including information coming into the country. the bbc world service is of course operationally, editorially and managerially independent. i understand that at the end of last year it decided, following a review, that it could not continue to offer an effective and affordable korean language service. that is of course a matter for the bbc world service itself. >> victoria liggatt of staveley died after gps missed several chances to spot her cancer. she is the most serious victim

of the failure of the holywell medical group in chesterfield. yet she and 20,000 other patients there who are desperately trying to get an appointment are also victims, are they not, of the deputy prime minister's shameless, spineless capitulation to the tories on the nhs? >> the honorable gentleman might not know this, but, as i pointed out earlier, it was his party that wasted a quarter of a billion pounds of taxpayers' money on sweetheart deals with the private sector to undermine the nhs on tariffs that the nhs could not meet for operations that were not delivered. while he is asking a question, why cannot he tell the house why, only last week, he tabled an amendment to tell 500,000 youngsters that they can no longer be called apprentices? we stand up for fairness, we stand up for a strong nhs, and he does not. >> has the deputy prime minister read the testimony of mariana robinson -- a victim of the labour-run nhs in wales -- in

yesterday's "western mail"? does he have sympathy with all those suffering on longer waiting lists and with less access to drugs? does he agree that it is time to give them the opportunity to access the far better services that are being delivered by this coalition government for nhs patients in england? >> i was appalled, and i am sure everybody would be appalled, by the experiences of one of the honorable gentleman's constituents. in wales, where the nhs is run by labour, 33% -- a third -- of patients wait more than eight weeks to access diagnostic services. in england, only just over 1% of patients wait longer than six weeks for the same services. i think the comparison speaks for itself. >> this week marks three years since the bloodshed began in syria. more than 2.5 million people have fled the country, and the dead can no longer even be counted. we must all bear responsibility for our shameful failure to intervene, but the government are supposed to be the ones

running the country. so what renewed effort will the deputy prime minister's government make to end the slaughter before all hope fails? >> the honorable gentleman knows my own views. i felt that there was a case for intervention at the time when we voted on this. of course, his party voted against it, but if he now wants to speak to his own party leadership on that matter, he is more than welcome to do so. i agree with him. the humanitarian catastrophe there is of an unimaginable scale, and we must do everything we can to help. that is why -- i think i am right in saying -- our humanitarian effort there is now the largest that this country has ever delivered. it is also why the home secretary and others in government are now administering, in conjunction with the united nations, a new programme whereby we allow the most destitute and desperate refugees some refuge in this country. >> during the recent floods, the prime minister rightly announced grants of £5,000 for people in

the homes flooded to put in flood defence measures. the deputy prime minister can therefore imagine the disappointment of people from the 1,000 homes in calder valley who were flooded only 18 months previously but got no such support. will he agree to look at this policy with the prime minister to see whether the same grants can be made available to those people in calder valley who were flooded as well? >> of course i will. as someone who witnessed the terrible flooding in my own constituency some years ago, i know that flooding can hit different parts of the country in different ways. as we adapt to this new, very difficult reality, we must make sure that we build up resilience in all parts of the country and provide assistance as fully and consistently as we can across the country. >> the honorable member for westmorland and lonsdale agrees with me that the hated bedroom tax is causing misery for those affected.

does the deputy prime minister agree with the president of his party or with his friend the prime minister? >> i think, and everybody thinks, that we need to deal with the mismatch between large numbers of people on the housing waiting list -- something the honorable lady's party never did anything to address in 13 years -- and the fact that there are large number of spare bedrooms that are not being used. her government presided over the change -- which we are now delivering in the social rented sector -- in the private rented sector. she needs to explain why they want to support the change in one part of the housing system and not in the other. >> portsmouth football club made history by becoming the uk's largest, 100% community buy-out. today, many much-loved clubs face an uncertain future owing to lack of financial transparency, opaque football authority rules and a structure that promotes irresponsibility in business and, if the team in question happens to be a women's team, that does not promote

sporting excellence. does the deputy prime minister agree that we need to learn the lessons from portsmouth, the culture, media and sport committee's report and the work of supporters direct, and act to protect the interests of clubs, their fans and, ultimately, the national game? >> i certainly agree with my honorable friend -- as, i am sure, will football fans across the country -- that this is a really important issue. we cannot have big money hollow out the game that everybody loves. my right honorable friend the secretary of state for culture, media and sport is looking at the issue on an ongoing basis, and i strongly urge my honorable friend to take it up with her. it is certainly something that we need to keep a close eye on so that sports clubs large and small can thrive in our country. >> there are reports that the department for work and pensions is proposing to stop paying benefits into the post office card account. does the deputy prime minister support that policy? >> i do not think that is true. i will certainly confirm that

for the honorable gentleman, but it is not something that i am aware of. >> last thursday, 16-year-old sam mangoro from romsey collapsed in a school pe lesson. one of the reasons he is still alive is that the excellent mountbatten school already had a defibrillator. it has ordered two more. what steps is my right honorable friend prepared to take to encourage more schools to make sure that they have defibrillators, and will he commend the work of the excellent oliver king foundation, which has been leading the way on this issue? >> i and, i am sure, many other honorable members have also come across this issue in schools, sporting clubs and other recreational facilities in our constituencies. there are some great organisations -- my honorable friend mentioned one of them -- that are promoting the need to make defibrillators more available, and i certainly think we should all work with those campaign groups to raise the profile of this important issue. >> a report out last week showed that the average nursery cost is

now higher than the cost of the average mortgage and that child-care costs have risen five times faster than wages since the election. given that the deputy prime minister's long-awaited tax-free child-care scheme will be announced soon, what discussions has he had about the scheme's relationship with universal credit and the cliff edges it creates, and what assessment has he made of the scheme and its impact on price inflation? >> the honorable lady raises a very important issue. as it happens, child-care costs are finally starting to come down in england, but they continue to go up, of course, in labour-run wales. we must do all we can to help parents and families with these costs. that is why we are delivering 15 hours of free child care and pre-school support to all three and four-year-olds and, for the first time ever, to two-year-olds from this country's the most deprived families. the honorable lady is right -- of course we need to do more.

that is why we will announce shortly the details of the tax-free child-care offer, which will benefit many families across the country who face very high costs. >> order. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> you have been watching prime minister's questions from the british house of commons. british prime minister david cameron answers questions from the house of commons live on wednesday morning at c-span 2. again, next sunday night at 9:00 a.m. eastern and pacific time. watch any time at c-span.org

where you can find video of past prime minister's questions and other british public affairs programs. next, reaction to allegations that the cia searched and it computers. after that, "q&a" with former obama administration official cass sunstein. and another chance to see british prime minister nick clegg take questions from the house of commons. >> we are focused on making sure we can eliminate barriers to getting those networks in place. building out these networks is our priority. sometimes there are local citing issues. sometimes there are federal rules that might affect how we deploy things or what the lighting might be or the impact on historic sites or the environment. we want to make sure we are sensitive to those issues. at the same time, we want to make sure we move forward on unemployment. our customers who use these

devices every day depend on having a good, strong connection . that means having a really robust wireless network. >> the wireless infrastructure, monday on "the communicators" at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span 2. >> on tuesday, the chair of the senate intelligence committee said the cia improperly search of its computers during an investigation into allegations of cia abuse. senator dianne feinstein with california defended her committee's work and challenged the cia to set the record straight on its various supports -- reports of disputes. >> based on what director brendan has informed us, i have grave concerns that the cia's search may well have violated the separation of powers and

principles embodied in the united states constitution. including the speech clause. it may have undermined the constitutional framework and essential to effective congressional oversight of intelligence activities or any other government function. i have asked for an apology and a recognition that this cia search of computers used by its oversight committee was an appropriate. i have received neither. besides the constitutional implications, the cia search may also have violated the fourth amendment, the computer fraud and abuse act, as well as an executive order. it prohibits the cia from conducting domestic searches or surveillance. days after the meeting with the cia brennan,

inspector general learned of the search and began an investigation into cia's activities. i have been informed that mr. buckley has referred the matter to the department of justice given the possibility of a criminal violation by cia personnel. ciame note -- the cause the has refused to answer the questions of my january 23 letter and the cia inspector general is ongoing, i have limited information about exactly what the cia did in conducting its search. told later, i was also that after the inspector general reviewed the cia's activities to the department of justice -- excuse me, referred the cia's activities to the department of justice, the acting counsel general of the cia filed a

crimes report with the department of justice, concerning the committee, staff actions. i have not been provided the specifics of these allegations or been told whether the department has initiated a criminal investigation based on the allegations of the cia's acting general counsel. staffentioned before, our involved in this matter have the appropriate clearances. they handle this sensitive material according to established procedures and practice to protect classified information and were provided access to the panetta review by the cia itself. as a result, there is no legitimate reason to allege to the justice department that senate staff may have committed a crime.

i view the acting consul general's referral as a potential effort to intimidate this staff and i am not taking it lightly. >> in response, cia director john brennan pushed back against the accusations that the agency a legally tempered with senate computers. chief correspondent andrea mitchell interviewed mr. brennan at the council on foreign relations in washington dc. here are some of his remarks. >> we have had the great fortune to play a role in helping keep this country great and its people safe. while we are exceptionally proud of the work we do, we have not been a perfect organization. far from it. we have made mistakes, more than a few. we have tried mightily to learn from them and take corrective action whenever and wherever appropriate.

of theo secret that many things the agency has done over the years, things that it was asked to do, that it alone had the authority and responsibility ofdo, remain subjects intense scrutiny, debate and controversy. the rendition, detention and interrogation program of nearly a decade ago is a case in point. there have been many things written and many things said, including i understand, this morning, about the program. some fact and some fiction. these remarks happened just the cia's -- have addressed the cia's views on the rdi program. i want to take this opportunity to say first, my cia colleagues and i believe strongly in the necessity of effective, strong, bipartisan congressional oversight. we are a far better organization because of congressional oversight. as long as i am director, i will

do whatever i can to be responsive to the representatives of the american people. our overseers ask us the tough questions. hold our feet to the fire and work everyday day to ensure that american taxpayer dollars are being spent effectively and efficiently. work toortant, they ensure that the cia and other organizations are carrying out the responsibilities and activities faithfully and in full accordance with the law. i don't always agree with them. we frequently have spirited and even sporty discussions. i believe we are fulfilling our respective responsibilities. cia as more than enough challenges on its plate. any otherhan institution of government, the cia wants to put the rendition, detention and interrogation chapter of its history behind it erie it -- behind it. the detention facilities have

long been closed. president obama officially ended the program five years ago. decade, there have been numerous internal and external reviews of the program. the cia has taken steps to address the shortcomings and problems that became evident in those reviews. the committee has conducted an extensive review of that program that cia has devoted considerable resources to supporting. tried to work as collaboratively as possible with the committee on its report. we will continue to do so. i have talked to chairman feinstein and vice chairman chambliss about the report and the way forward. cia agrees with many of the findings in the report and we disagree with others. we have learned from the program's for cummins and taking corrective -- shortcomings and taking corrective measures. we also owe it to the women and men who did their duty in

executing this program to make sure that any historical record of it is a balanced and accurate one. we have worked closely with the committee to resolve outstanding issues and we look over to foring with the committee classification review. even as we have learned from the past, we must be able to put the past behind us so we can devote our attention to the challenges ahead. arrived at cia in 1980 and was sworn in as an officer, never believing in my wildest dreams that one day i would have the honor and privilege of leading the courageous and talented women and men of cia. as director, i go down to the main lobby of our headquarters once a month to administer the oath of office to our newest employees. i am always struck by the quality of these women and men. many speak several languages. some have had successful careers in the private sector and want

to give something back to their country. for all of them, this moment is the culmination of years of hard work erie it you can see the enthusiasm in their eyes. raised theirem hands, i feel an extraordinary sense of obligation to these officers. they have chosen a profession that is filled with great rewards and challenges and sometimes danger. it is my job to prepare them for it. from day one i want them to understand that they are joining more than an organization. they are also joining a tradition of service and sacrifice. i alwaysreason, administer the oath of office in front of our memorial wall. -- 107 stars stars on that wall. each one represents an agency hero who made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our nation. i emphasize that we all have responsibilities to remember the officers and sacrifices represented by those stars and to carry on their work.

i am sharing this with you commitment profound to the nation we serve. ciamore than six decades, has devoted itself to protecting our nation and advancing american interests around the globe. the contributions often go unrecognized. cia officers are essential to the strength and security of our republic. thank you. i very much look forward to taking your questions. >> thank you all very much. [applause] thank you, director. we are going to have a conversation here and bring the audience in. first of all, the topic of the morning which you have addressed. you said that you want to get the interrogation and the tensions past practices behind you. senator feinstein today said she did this reluctantly, that she has been giving with you privately to resolve this since

january and only went public because of events, a referral from the inspector general to justice. a lawyer in cia had referred a crimes report separately, accusing the senate of going in improperly into cia computers. her claim in the scathing speech was that cia had hacked into the senate intelligence committee staff computers to thwart an investigation by the committee into those past practices. she also alleges that the panda etta report was similar to the senate conclusions about those past practices, that you were involved in that era in the cia wasitself. and that trying to thwart the full review of the harshness of the detention interrogation practices. can you respond to that?

>> first of all, we are not in any way shape or form trying to thwart this report's progression. we want this behind us. we know that the committee has invested a lot of time, money and effort into this report. have engaged with them extensively over the last year. we have had officers sit down with them and go over the report. what we believe our factual errors or errors in judgment. we are not trying to prevent this release. as far as the allegations of cia hacking, nothing could be further from the truth. we wouldn't you that. that is just beyond the scope of reason. arehe said that there potentially illegal and unconstitutional breaches by the cia. appropriate authorities both inside the cia as well as outside are looking at what cia officers and staff members did.

determine them to whether or not there was any violation of law or principle. i referred the matter myself to the cia inspector general to make sure that he was able to look honestly and objectively. facts come out, i think the people who are claiming there has been this tremendous spying and monitoring and hacking, will be proved wrong. >> you said that your confirmation hearing you wanted to restore trust between cia and the overseers. gulf.s a pretty major if it is proved that the cia did do this, would you feel that you had to step down? confident that the authorities will review this appropriately. i will deal with the facts as uncovered in the appropriate

manner. i would just encourage members timee senate to take their , to make sure they don't overstate what they claim and what they believe to be the truth. these are some complicated matters. we have worked with the committee over the course of many years. this review was done at a facility where cia had responsibility to make sure they had the computer wherewithal to carry out their responsibilities. if there was any inappropriate actions that were taken related to that review either by cia or staff, i will be the first one to say we need to get to the bottom of this. if i did something wrong, i will go to the president and explain to him what i did and what the findings were. he is the one who can ask me to stay or to go. >> malaysia air and the investigation, a lot of people have been shocked that two years

after passports were stolen and reported stolen, that people using stolen passports whether or not there was a terror link could still board airlines. what flaw is still in this system that permits stolen passports to be used so commonly around the world? >> when you think about the number of people that get on the plane somewhere in the world on a daily basis, the numbers are probably in the hundreds of thousands. there have been tremendous strides made in trying to share as much information as possible. i know that the malaysian authorities looked carefully at what went wrong. these individuals got on with stolen passports, why they were not aware of it. all of us have to do everything possible. it is close to 13 years since 9/11. the memories have receded in the minds of many people. this is not the time to relax.

we know that there are terrorist groups still determined to carry out attacks. been chatter that would indicate any kind of terror link in this mystery? >> there is a lot of speculation right now. some claims of responsibility have not been confirmed. we are looking at it very carefully. we are working with fbi and tsa .nd others our malaysian counterparts are doing everything they can to put together pieces. this is still a mystery which is very disturbing. until we can find out where that aircraft is to do forensic analysis. >> you are not ruling out that it could be terror? >> not at all. >> what is the state of al qaeda in malaysia. in the 1990's, they were very active. active ina still

malaysia? birthqaeda, which had its , earlier inn area sudan and south asia, has spread over the years through africa, asia. there are a number of areas in southeast asia where al qaeda has tried to develop contacts and cells. whether it be for fundraising, logistics or location. there has never been a place in the globe where they were not going to seek some type of presence. southeast asia is an area where al qaeda has had a historical presence. >> on wednesday, georgia senator saxby chambliss, ranking member of the intelligence committee, spoke on the senate floor about the cia controversy that the

agency allegedly searched computer networks set up for staff. he said gop staff had not been made aware of the full investigation and there may be need for a special investigator. >> mr. president, i rise somewhat reluctantly to speak about an intelligence committee matter. past 48 hours the have been discussed rampantly in the halls of congress and in the press. based on press reports today, yesterday and last week, allegations have been made regarding the central intelligence agency's actions toward the committee as well as staff and members' actions on the senate intelligence committee towards the cia. feel compelled to speak on this matter is the following -- although people speak as we know -- as though we know all the pertinent facts surrounding this matter, the truth is we do not.

the republican committee members on the senate intelligence committee and staff were not involved in the underlying investigation of the detainee and interrogation report. we do not know the actual facts concerning the cia's alleged actions or all of the specific details about the actions by the committee staff regarding the draft of what is now referred to a internal review document. both parties have made allegations against one another and even speculated as to each other's actions. there are still a lot of unanswered questions that must be addressed. no forensics have been run on at the ciaputers facility to know what actually happened either regarding the theged cia search or

circumstances under which the committee came and took possession of the panetta internal review document. mattersat both of these have been referred to the department of justice, it may take a while before amy accurate factual findings can be relieved and a satisfactory resolution can be achieved. it may even call for some special investigator to the named to review the entire factual situation. eventually, we will get to the bottom of this. today, i cannot make a statement that will reflect what actually occurred and therefore, what recommendations we ought to make as we move forward. our committee members are conducting an internal assessment of the fact and circumstances involved in both of these matters. this will be an ongoing process that should not be described or discussed in the public domain,

but like all other intelligence committee matters, should remain within the purview of the confines of the intelligence committee. today i wanted everyone to know where i stand on this matter and how we need to get to the ground truth of these very important matters. >> next, the confirmation hearing for cia general counsel caroline krass. during q&a before the committee last december, she answered questions about the agency's interrogation techniques. ass wasek, ms. kr confirmed by the senate. this portion of the hearing is one hour. afternoon to both of you. welcome. i am going to direct a set of comments and question to ms.

crass today. we had a chance to sit down last week. we discussed the intelligence committee study on the detention which it is committee approved a one year ago. did you read the section pertaining, that it played in the drafting support for the program a you said you found the study to be hard reading. any of us would've find a hard reading. and the techniques used by the cia were not consistent with our values and i understand that while you were employed with the office of legal counsel, you were not involved in the drafting of o.l.c. opinions regarding the detention and interrogation program.

and after our discussion last week, as well as after reviewing your strong credentials and support for your nomination, i do believe you're highly qualified for the c.i.a. general counsel position, but as you know from my discussion and our discussion last week, i've got some deep concerns about how the c.i.a. has interacted with this committee throughout the nearly four years that the committee has been researching and drafting the study. and after the committee sent a study of the c.i.a. for its review and response, i and other committee members repeatedly requested that c.i.a. personnel meet with the committee staff to discuss the study and its methodology, but history shows that the c.i.a. declined all of the requests to meet. then last week, there were a number of articles discussing the one-year anniversary of the vote to approve the committee study. some of those reports included a statement from the c.i.a. claiming that the c.i.a. has detailed significant errors in

the study. i don't believe that statement is factually accurate. the cia took seven months to review the study and provided a formal written response last june. shortly thereafter, the committee staff held more than 60 hours of meetings with the cia. after reviewing the material provided and being briefed on the staff meetings, i am more confident than ever in the factual accuracy of the committee's 6300 page study. i am more confident than ever. i strongly believe that the way to correct the information is through the sunlight of the classification. the cia also needs to be more cooperative and with the community in regard to the study. last week, you committed in a