The FISA Amendment Act of 2008 actually allows some of the things we were doing under the president’s authority only against al Qaeda, it allows them for all legitimate foreign intelligence purposes. Michael Hayden Read Quote
As director of CIA, I was responsible for everything done in the agency’s name, and it didn’t matter whether that was done by an agency employee, a government contractor, a liaison service on our behalf, or a source on our behalf. Michael Hayden Read Quote
Our inaction created the opportunity for the Russians to reenter the Middle East in a powerful way for the first time since 1973. Michael Hayden Read Quote
I must admit, my old tribe is not unanimous on the view I’ve taken, but there are other folks like me, other former directors of the NSA who have said building in backdoors universally in Apple or other devices actually is bad for America. I think we can all agree it’s bad for American privacy. Michael Hayden Read Quote
Counterterrorism, counterproliferation, and counterintelligence are staples. The four countries of highest interest – Russia, China, Iran and North Korea – are constants. Michael Hayden Read Quote
The question is how much of your privacy and your convenience and your commerce do you want your nation’s security apparatus to squeeze in order to keep you safe? And it is a choice that we have to make. Michael Hayden Read Quote
What Edward Snowden did amounted to the greatest hemorrhaging of legitimate American secrets in the history of my nation. Michael Hayden Read Quote
There is no part of the executive branch that more exists on the outer edge of executive prerogative than the American intelligence community – the intelligence community, CIA, covert action. My literal responsibility as director of CIA with regard to covert action was to inform the Congress – not to seek their approval, to inform. Michael Hayden Read Quote
An intelligence analyst may attribute an attack to al Qaeda, whereas a policy maker could opt for the more general ‘extremist.’ Michael Hayden Read Quote
