The Washington Free Beacon's Ellison Barber debated The BlazeTV's Buck Sexton over the role of the NSA in detecting the Al Qaeda threat responsible for U.S. embassy closures across the Middle East Tuesday on "Real News."
Sexton, citing an AP report suggesting the NSA played no part in producing the initial tip on the terrorist threat, criticized politicians for exploiting the government's heightened alert level to argue for increased NSA surveillance.
Barber countered Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R., Ga.) and ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D., Md.) both referenced the NSA's role in developing intelligence that prompted the terror alert on Sunday morning television.
Given the bipartisan endorsement of the NSA and its role in intelligence collection specifically related to the current Al Qaeda threat, categorically precluding the possibility of a connection to the original tip would be preemptive, Barber said.