In an effort to clear up confusion over spying done on European states by the NSA, the director of the National Security Agency said Tuesday, “This is not information we collected on European citizens…It represents information that we and our NATO allies have collected in defense of our countries and in support of military operations.”

On Tuesday the Wall Street Journal reported that both France and Spain had turned over phone records of their citizens that had been collected by their internal intelligence services to the NSA as part of an agreement designed to limit threats to NATO troops and civilians.

The director of national intelligence, James Clapper, also defended the NSA’s newly public habit of spying on foreign leaders by arguing that it is a basic pillar of American intelligence. Spying on foreign leaders, even friendly ones, gives the United States an edge by allowing analysts a better chance at guessing how other states will act towards the U.S.

SEE ALSO: N.S.A. Head Says European Data Was Collected By Allies

The general feeling in the Senate, if it wasn’t already hostile towards what many see as excesses by America’s intelligence agencies, is beginning to turn that way. 

California Senator Dianne Feinstein, a staunch defender of the intelligence apparatus thus far, in addition to being the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on Monday that she did “not believe the United States should be collecting phone calls or emails of friendly presidents and prime ministers.”

These hearings have come on the heals of revelations that the NSA has been spying on the personal phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel since 2002, long before she was even elected to the Chancellorship.

SEE ALSO: Spain To Meet U.S. Ambassador Over NSA Spying

Despite White House claims last week that they were unaware of the extent of the program to spy on friendly foreign leaders and would investigate, intelligence officials were quick to discard that notion, saying that the President had been briefed on the program and had ordered it’s continuation. 

An official statement from the NSA soon followed, denying the statement above, likely indicating some level of confusion as to who knows what, and to what extent, within the administration.

Speaker of the house John Boehner joined in the discussion, saying “I don’t think there’s any question that there needs to be a review, there ought to be a review, and it ought to be thorough…We’ve got obligations to the American people to keep them safe. We’ve got obligations to our allies around the world.”

Reach Executive Producer Christopher Coppock by email.