Eavesdrop debate will cost U.S. lives: spy chief

National Intelligence Director nominee Mike McConnell listens to President Bush at the White House, January 5, 2007. A debate in the U.S. Congress over eavesdropping on terrorism suspects will cost American lives by exposing intelligence techniques, the Bush administration's spy chief said on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A debate in the U.S. Congress over eavesdropping on terrorism suspects will cost American lives by exposing intelligence techniques, the Bush administration's spy chief said on Thursday.

At a congressional hearing, National Intelligence Director Michael McConnell faced sharp questioning from Democratic lawmakers skeptical of his earlier comments and who deeply mistrust the Bush administration over its handling of surveillance programs after the Sept 11, 2001 attacks.

McConnell said the eavesdropping debate was important to ensure authorities had proper tools to fight suspected terrorists -- and he cited a case under previous law in which authorities were delayed in wiretapping Iraqi militants suspected of kidnapping American troops.

But he also asserted that the open debate would help U.S. enemies, and that he had earlier cautioned Congress about this.

"What this dialogue and debate has allowed those who wish us harm to do, is to understand significantly more about how we were targeting their communications," McConnell told the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee.

Asked U.S lives had been lost, he said, "They will (be)."

Democratic Rep. Anna Eshoo of California told McConnell, "I really think that's a stretch."

"It puts a dent in the credibility. And I think that there are some members of Congress that are really affected by this," Eshoo said.

She also criticized McConnell for disclosing in a newspaper interview last month classified information about private-sector help for the surveillance -- a step McConnell defended as within his authority.

Democrats, who control Congress, last month helped pass temporary legislation expanding federal authority to eavesdrop on foreign conversations. But many are wary of granting permanent authority the Bush administration wants without more protections against broad eavesdropping on Americans' international calls.

They say U.S. President George W. Bush abused his trust by creating and not properly informing Congress about a program of warrantless eavesdropping on international communications by people in the United States with suspected foreign enemies.

The new legislation aims to ensure that authorities can tap the phone calls of foreign targets without a warrant, but must obtain a warrant when targeting Americans for eavesdropping on international calls.

12 HOUR DELAY

Democrats have criticized McConnell over previous statements to Congress, including one that suggested the legislation passed last month helped expose a suspected German bomb plot.

McConnell later issued a clarification that he was referring to the surveillance program in general.

"There's some doubts about your ability to act as an unbiased source of information," New Jersey Democratic Rep. Rush Holt told him.

McConnell told the committee that authorities in one case were delayed by about 12 hours in tapping the phones of Iraqi insurgents suspected of kidnapping American soldiers.

Authorities needed court approval to tap the phones because they were carried on a wire line passing through the United States rather than over the air, placing it under the purview of the legislation in effect before the August update.

"The reason was the mode of communication and where it was intercepted," McConnell said.

But he refrained from elaborating. "The reason I've tried to be as straightforward and open on this subject as I have -- (is) because it is so important that we get this right. Now, many are going to accuse me of declassifying information, (of being) a warmonger, a fearmonger, whatever," he said.