Spy chief sheds light on wiretaps

McConnell said that he was generally satisfied with the revisions Congress passed but that he believed further changes were necessary to protect telecommunications companies from liability for sharing access to their networks with U.S. spy agencies -- particularly the National Security Agency, which eavesdrops on phone calls and e-mails around the globe.

McConnell rejected criticism that the Bush administration had used scare tactics to push for the FISA revisions or that he had misled congressional Democrats, who complained that he backed out of a deal on a more moderate legislative package.

Even as he disclosed new details about the espionage programs, McConnell made criticisms that the public debate has given Al Qaeda and other organizations insight into U.S. eavesdropping operations.

"The fact that we're doing it this way means that some Americans are going to die," he said. But because of the "claim, counterclaim, mistrust, suspicion" surrounding the program, he said, "the only way you could make any progress was to have this debate in an open way."

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greg.miller@latimes.com