US President Barack Obama met top spy chiefs as he finalized a decision on how to rein in National Security Agency spying sweeps following revelations by Edward Snowden.
Obama met the heads of the NSA, CIA, FBI and the director of national intelligence as part of a string of meetings with advocates on both sides of the debate on balancing privacy and national security.
“This was an important chance for the president to hear directly from his team as he begins to make final decisions about how we move forward with key intelligence collection programs,” said National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden.
The meeting included CIA chief John Brennan, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, NSA head General Keith Alexander and Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey.
Obama was joined in the talks by Vice President Joe Biden and Attorney General Eric Holder.
Obama meets CIA, NSA chiefs
