Robert Litt, DNI’s general counsel, expounds on nation’s surveillance program

Robert Litt, the general counsel to the director of national intelligence, has emerged as one of the administration’s point men in response to the Snowden revelations, the defense of the intelligence community, and reform of intelligence authorities.

In the wake of the president’s NSA speech, Litt stopped by the Brookings Institution on January 27 to discuss implementation of the president’s proposed reforms—and a variety of other matters arising from the Snowden disclosures.

Among many key issues, Litt addressed the question, “What will we do with the telephone metadata program?” and offered his insights on the more detailed question, “How can we set up a program that will be useful, but provide greater privacy?”

Witt was questioned by Benjamin Wittes, the editor-in-chief of Lawfare and a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution. Wittes is the author of several books and a member of the Hoover Institution’s Task Force on National Security and Law.

To see a video of the complete 35-minute interview with Robert Litt, click here.