and denying the government was engaged in massive surveillance. >> we can't have officials like james clapper who can lie to everyone and face not even a criticism, not even a strongly worded letter. >> the white house declined comment, but president obama said clapper should have been more careful in his testimony and that the administration is trying to balance privacy concerns with anti-terror investigations. snowden argued the sweeping surveillance hasn't accomplished anything and cast himself as a lonely hero. >> i took an oath to support and defend the constitution. >> the man being applauded clearly sparked a national debate over spying, but snowden was making his case from vladimir putin's russia, which has a long history of human rights violations and just launched a military invasion of crimea. inconvenient fact that went unmentioned. >> thank you. >>> blade runner oscar pistorius involvemented repeatedly today during graphic testimony. pistorius was listening to the details of injuries sustained by the girlfriend he shot, including a head wound. the person who performed the autopsy

edward snowden, the leaker of classified information, it did break the law, but so did james clapper.o not think there has been another criticism of clapper. enough he said it was ok to lie to congress and the american people in the name of security. snowden proposed it was ok to meet classified information in -- to leak classified information in the name of liberty. there are laws against both of those, leaking and lying. history sometimes excepts one or both as laudable. if a government official weeks -- leaks to expose government malfeasance, we sometimes call it a whistleblower. if an enemy asks for secret information, we would expect our intelligence director to live, -- to lie. but no matter who is testifying in congress, lying to congress is still a crime. lying to congress also damages credibility. when the intelligence director lies, it makes it difficult for us to believe him when he comes to say, oh, yes, we are collecting all of your information, but we promise not to look at it. it is hard to believe them when they do not tell the truth when they testify. they also come t

listen to what james clapper is saying. syria now is becoming a crisis for the word. >> u.s. interests are definitely implicated in term of the impact, the spillover of syria on regional friends and allies of the u.s. it is also been determined by president obama early on that helping the transition toward the democracy in the region is in the u.s. national interest. it's not just the right thing to do. so that also is there. but danny, when people say it doesn't reach u.s. shores in any way is that correct? when we talk about the region of friend and allies. that's incorrect. when we talk about the democracy it's debatable. people will tell you it's not democracy. is it true that this doesn't reach u.s. shores at all? >> that's debatable and being debated. but i think what is interesting is what conclusions is one to dpraw from the picture that he drew. this picture that our intelligence agencies are paying more and more attention to the al-qaeda. for example, ambassador ryan crocker draws the conclusion that precisely because of this what's he forgetting when he says that?

. >> you were the first one, you sort of made public what you did there with james clapper.thought clapper should have been brought up on charges that he technically lied under oath to congress. he used weasel words. it took him awhile to apologize for those comments. you had to bring this up. is there anything else we don't know that you know that would somehow make the american public feel insecure about their privacy? >> first of all, i believe that we can make sure that liberty and security are not mutually exclusive. we can have both. that's what ben franklin talked about. >> is there anything else out there we don't know the about that would be violating our privacy? >> we need to make those reforms i just outlined. what was troubling about what james clapper did is he wouldn't even correct it after the fact. in other words, this issue has been put in the public square not by the congress but by ineffective intelligence leader. they stated something in a public hearing that was flag grantley inaccurate. do you still have confidence in clapper? >> i think we need an upg

pictures of that, of the defense secretary chuck hagel of the director of national intelligence, james clapper, all coming into the white house, and we understand, jim, from talking to the various officials that vice president biden and secretary of state john kerry also joined in on that national security meeting via conference, and some tough talk coming from the white house, and it is clear that they want russia out of crimea, and the question now becomes, does russia respond, and what does the united states do next? jim? >> and the president delivering a tough message and building a coalition that hee ne needs can and france to corroborate. and ian, i know there is frustration among the protesters and even the crimean politicians that they have not gotten the backup or the support they wanted from the west. and do you think that in the phone calls, the stern messages and the talk of costs for russia they are beginning to hear the support they are looking for? >> i think they are starting to hear positive signs bs, but you also have the ukrainian government here talking tougher about the ru

john brennan, joint chiefs chairman general martin dempsey and national intelligence director james clapper. we're just getting word that the president did not attend the meeting but that he was briefed on it later. in his remarks yesterday president obama warned that any violation of ukraine's sovereignty would be, quote, deeply destabilizing. >> just days after the world came to russia for the olympic games, it would invite the condemnation of nations around the world, and indeed the united states will stand with the international community in affirming that there will be costs for any military intervention in ukraine. >> vice president joe biden spoke yesterday with the ukrainian prime minister assuring him that the u.s. stands for, quote, the democratic future of ukraine. greg? >> well, we remember the president said there will be costs if syria uses chemical weapons, and in the end there were none. what kind of a reaction is coming from capitol hill? >> a lot of concern. republican senator john mccain says he's, quote, deeply concerned that russia will expand further into ukraine. he s

listen to what james clapper is saying, listen to what the secretary of homeland security is saying. syria, now, is becoming a crisis for the world. >> u.s. interests are definitely implicated in terms of the impact, spillover of syria on regional friends and allies of the u.s. it's also been determined by president obama early on that helping the transition towards democracy many in the region is this the -- in the region is in the u.s. national interests. it's not just the right thing to do. so that also is there. but, danny, when people say, well, it doesn't reach u.s. shores in any way, is that correct? when we talk about the regional friends and allies, that's indirect. and when we talk about democracy, that's debatable. people will tell you, hey, that's not democrat, etc. but is it true that this doesn't reach u.s. shores at all? >> that's debatable and is being debated. but i think what's interesting is what conclusions is one to draw from the picture that nader just drew, thissicture that -- this picture that our intelligence agencies are paying more and more attention to the

you saw chuck hagel the defense secretary, james clapper director of national intelligence, chairmaney and john brennan the director of the cia leaving the white house around 1:00 this afternoon. the president evidently was not at that meeting, wolf. >> is there any indication, jim, that we might be hearing from the president at some point later today? yesterday he walked into the briefing room at around 5:00 p.m. eastern time, previously unscheduled, wanted to make a statement. made a three-minute statement, directly suggesting there would be costs to the russians if they were to intervene militarily. any indications from the white house that could happen again today? >> reporter: we're anticipating further updates as the day goes on, wolf, as to what went on here at the white house today, who to expect from the president and his team. that is always a possibility. that has not been ruled ought today. but really no indication at this point as to whether or not the president might come out. you heard what he said yesterday. it was a very cautious and brief statement. that was backed

he did not say at all that james clapper should be indicted for lying to the american people.otal silence. what about the rampant unconstitutional actions of -- i want to complete my -- i want to respond, because that is one of several. we have a president who claims and has used the authority on two occasions to kill any american citizen that he unilaterally decides in secret is a danger. that is due process of law? that sounds like putin sending poisons to london. there is no due process served. the surveillance program is another example. he decides he does not want to faithfully execute the law? he says i do not like the law against immigration. i will not enforce those. he does not like the laws against marijuana. i will not enforce those. all of these examples of government lawlessness, total silence on governor gilmore's part. when the government becomes a lawbreaker, it invites every man and woman to become a law unto themselves. >> governor, no more silence. can you answer? >> bruce, i have been on the front lines of this battle. i have been an intelligence agent duri

edward snowden, the leaker of classified information, it did break the law, but so did james clapper.i do not think there has been another criticism of clapper. -- and criticism of clapper. -- enough criticism of clapper. he said it was ok to lie to congress and the american people in the name of security. snowden proposed it was ok to meet classified information in -- to leak classified information in the name of liberty. there are laws against both of those, leaking and lying. history sometimes excepts one or both as laudable. the government official leaks to expose government malfeasance, we sometimes call it a whistleblower. if an enemy asks for secret information, we would expect our intelligence director to lie. but no matter who is testifying in congress, lying to congress is still a crime. lying to congress also damages credibility. when the intelligence director lies, it makes it difficult for us to believe him when he comes to say, oh, yes, we are collecting all of your information, but we promise not to look at it. it is hard to believe them when they do not tell the truth

chalk hagel and brennan were there and national intelligence director james clapper. president obama did not attend the meeting but was briefed on it later. also today samantha power, the u.s. ambassador to the united nations pressed for international monitors to go into ukraine to get the facts on the ground. >> we're working toto deescalat facilitate peaceful lie ddialog >> but while the diplomats talk, putin is making a, quote, power move. >> the united states has essentially ignored what happened in the ukraine and now we're paying the price because our options are very limited. >> he says the u.s. and europe should be pushing hard to get ukraine into n.a.t.o. quickly. >> molly, we know some of the president's critics and particularly republican leaders have had a lot to say about this but we heard from the white house today. what are we hearing from other lawmakers on capitol hill? >> reporter: john mccain says he's deeply concerned that russia will expand further into ukraine. he said in a statement, quote, i call on president obama to rally our european and n.a

participants included chuck hagel, john brennan, martin dempsey and james clapper. president obama did not attend the meeting but was briefed on it later. but can the obama administration get vladimir putin's attention? republicans say they are doubtful that the russian president worries much about what president obama says he will do. >> i'm sure that putin is shaking in his fur-covered boots. look, this is an administration that issues warnings but never does anything about it. the red line in syria, we're going to get control of benghazi. it means nothing and putin knows it means nothing. >> john mccain says he's, quote, deeply concerned that russia will expand its military presence further into ukraine. >> mol he loly, thank you very for that report. gregg? >>> an attorney for california students banned from wearing american flag t-shirts in their high school is calling the latest ruling absolutely ridiculous. a federal appeals court saying their rights were not violated when the school told them to hide the american flag logos or go home, fearing it could incit

all in it is not clear how useful the information has been, and yet, a few months later, we have james clapper, director of national intelligence conceding perhaps it would have been better if we had been transparent upfront. we should have gone to congress or have been first -- forthright about needing the power to do this abroad instead of doing it in -- the fact that we are seeing almost universal consensus that this program does need to end shows that there was real value to what he says, whether or not you think that program was illegal, it was sufficiently concerning. >> tonight on c-span, the house oversight committee questions irs commissioner john koskinen about how his agency handled applications for tax exempt status for nonprofit groups. then a senate hearing on security breaches at retailers that compromised consumers financial data. and later, a hearing on management failures at the federal agency that secures u.s. nuclear stockpiles. just before this house oversight hearing got underway, irs commissioner john koskinen was talking with chairman darrell issa. mr. koskinen was call

seeing someone in the position of james clapper, the director of national intelligence, baldly lying to the public without any repercussion was the evidence of a subverted democracy. >> so i didn't understand, what was the date that clapper made that and what was the date he stole the material? >> march 12th, 2013, when did he steal the material? before that, but he didn't come out until after that, right? >> that's right. so when you look at it, i would question the integrity of the individual who completely took all this stuff, went to a place that when i look at it, you know, going to china and russia isn't the bastion of civil liberties and privacy. >> when you hear senator rand paul say what he says, what do you think? >> it is disheartening. knowing what we do, if you talk to other members of congress, they will tell you that we're doing the right thing here. from my perspective, we aren't doing anything illegal. and if we do, we'll be the first to catch it, and we'll report it. and if somebody steps out of line inappropriately, we'll hold them accountable. you can trust that. >

pointed out, karen, we saw defense secretary chuck hagel leaving the wours early and dni chief james clapper as well as other officials. this comes on a very stern warning yesterday. he said to russia if they were to take military steps in ukraine, that there would be costs associated with that. so the big question is what will those costs be? what are they considering? one white house official telling nbc news that those costs could include a possible boycott of the g-8 summit. that is slated to happen in sochi, russia, the very same place where the olympics were held in june. >> presumably i'm assuming the white house is weighing those options given there may be action at the u.n. security council or they think that's doubtful, but as they also keep app eye an eye on what is happening in the ukraine and essentially what putin does next. >> reporter: they are weighing their options very carefully, you're absolutely right. the question is will there be more that they're putting on the table in addition to the potential boycott of the g-8 summit. i can tell you they are getting pressure from

intelligence, james clapper, testified before congress that no telephone communications of americansre being monitored. .n outlandish lie lying to congress is a felony. you can go to jail for years. not a word. liernments are supposed to to their citizens. >> author and m.i.t. professor noam chomsky speaking during his visit to tokyo last week. peschel thanks to our planet tv. you can visit democracynow.org

. >> james clapper, the direct of intelligence, said al qaeda is not on the path to defeat. across the globe and a number of lawmakers focused on defense who question if the new defense budget is naive >> look what is happening with china and the middle east. we could not have done the surge in iraq with an army that size >> others suggest cutting back on the army and aircraft. why the countries are around us are watching >> what are the administration's al allies saying in defense of the cuts? >> they want the best military trains and their hope is we wouldn't need a large army in the morning. >> we will not engage in another land war like iraq or afghanistan. a long-term commitment that cost too much in human lives and treasure. and secondly, we need to reduce spending in all areas. we expect them on capital hill to defend the plan. putin used his army to invade ukraine and expect that to be brought up. >> and questions about whether we are cutting spending on all levels in the budget. that is coming in the coming days. >> washington, d.c. is getting hammered. >> shocking

the defense secretary, james clapper, they left the white house earlier today. few black suvs parked outside of the west wing, a suggestion that there could still be some high-level meetings going on. we also know that defense secretary hagel spoke with his russian counterpart earlier today. white house officials telling me that senior administration officials are monitoring the developments in the ukraine quite closely. now, of course, all of this comes after yesterday's stern warning from president obama who said there would be costs if russia were to engage militarily in ukraine. the question is, what will those costs be? the president vague about that yesterday. but officials here tell nbc news that it could include a boycott of the g-8 summit. that will be held in sochi, russia, this summer. a boycott not just of the u.s. but also of its european allies. that's one of the things that's under consideration. not surprisingly, craig, some of the more hawkish members of congress would like to see the president taking a tougher stance. we're getting this reactio

and it is not clear how useful the information has been, and yet, a few months later, we have james clapper, director of national intelligence conceding perhaps it would have been better if we had been transparent upfront. we should have gone to congress or have been first -- forthright about needing the power to do this abroad instead of doing it in -- the fact that we are seeing almost universal consensus that this program does need to end shows that there was real value to what he says, whether or not you think that program was illegal, it was sufficiently concerning. the system was forced to make concerns once the public became aware. host: thank you for your time. coming up, our next guest will take a look at yesterday possibly in court case, taking a look at holly at -- hobby lobby and conestoga. we will be joined by representative diana degette. we will talk about the first lady's office and her impact and influence. first, an update from c-span radio. >> a push by congressional democrats to bring a wide array of changes to the international monetary fund has been withdrawn from that

since you have the national intelligence director just a couple of months ago up on capitol hill, james clapperand yemen. they have intelligence indicating that not only americans and westerners with valid passports that they're trying to get plots to attack western targets and airliners, but stolen passports that that might be a possibility. here you have an incident -- we're not saying this is definitively terrorism, but raises the prospect it could be. >> so we have the president of the united states, as we move to the ukraine crisis -- we have the president of the united states speaking for over an hour, two separate times, with putin, angela merkel, same thing. david ram ron, same thing. more and more enforcements are going into the crimea area. what are your thoughts? >> i mean, you have this sense that putin is not backing down. in fact, he's stepping up in the face of increased sanctions, putting more troops in there, publicly acknowledging the referendum that's going to take place in crimea to side and essentially secede from ukraine and side with russia. it doesn't seem like any of th

see even lie to congress i mean i think by now we all know that comes with the job description james clapper but the fact that the cia is now so paranoid about this report that it's of willingly spying on its. the watch dogs is an entirely new level of absurdity in fact senator you all said it best last week calling the cia's actions incredibly troubling for the committee's oversight responsibilities and for our democracy it is essential that the committee be able to do its oversight work consistent with our constitutional principle of the separation of powers and right now the powers are almost working autonomously just to cover up their own lies which leaves us questioning who is really running the show i. i . the annual conservative political action conference just wrapped up its two thousand and fourteen session this year's conference was held in san diego and hosted by the american conservative union along with over one hundred other financial contributors event featured speakers and workshops and of course the c pac straw poll which has traditionally served as a barometer for where ame

we saw general martin dempsey, chuck hagel, james clapper, where's kerry?e relationship with sergey la the russian foreign minister. you've seen some talk about the russians possibly calling their ambassador back to moscow, but that's not really where the business between the u.s. and russia is done. it's done between capitals, the white house, between the kremlin and secretary kerry and lavrov. secretary kerry has had some positive effects with his relationship with lavrov. they put together those peace talks in geneva. we have on the syrian crisis, we haven't seen a lot of progress, but they are determined to work together and this is i think you should look for kerry to get much more involved. >> we know the vice president, joe biden, has been deeply involved in this crisis as well. stand by. i want to go to moscow right now. fred is on the scene for us. we're getting some signals from the russians that they're ready to use significant military force in ukraine, given the pro russian attitude. >> well, wolf, putin certainly had gotten the go ahead from r