Sen. John McCain
US Republican Senator John McCain has refused to admit his earlier statement that National Security Agency Director Gen. Keith Alexander should resign over the spying scandal.
�œSenator McCain believes that there needs to be accountability for the [Edward] Snowden leaks, but he is not calling for the resignation of General Alexander, who is retiring soon,” McCain spokesman Brian Rogers told POLITICO.
In an interview with German magazine Der Spiegel published on Sunday, McCain called on the NSA chief to step down.
�œOf course he should resign, or be fired,” McCain said, adding that it was conceivable that US President Barack Obama did not know the spying, �œbut the fact remains that he should have known it. Responsibility always stops at the president’s desk.”
McCain called for a �œwholesale housecleaning” over the revelations by American whistleblower Edward Snowden about the NSA surveillance programs.
However, McCain spokesman said the senator was arguing for general accountability in Washington.
Meanwhile, a Spiegel editor said the edited form of the interview was sent to McCain’s office and approved before publication.
“SPIEGEL submitted its interview with Senator John McCain to his office on Friday morning to clarify the Senator’s position. It was approved by McCain’s staff in the exact version that was published, word for word,” the magazine said in a statement.
AGB/AGB
Source: Press TV