We are in this business, whether it be intelligence or the government, to protect freedom, democracy and liberty, not to violate that.
John O. BrennanThe preservation of our national security and the laws that define us as the United States of America demand that we understand the intersection of the two - indeed, how they reinforce one another.
John O. BrennanOur democratic values also include - and our national security demands - open and transparent government. Some information obviously needs to be protected. And since his first days in office, President Obama has worked to strike the proper balance between the security the American people deserve and the openness our democratic society expects.
John O. Brennan