Army General Tapped to Lead NSA Said He Doesn’t Know Much About the Biggest NSA Controversy

THE ARMY GENERAL nominated to lead the National Security Agency was asked repeatedly this month about how he would use the agency’s vast spying powers.

Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd kept his answers vague.

He claimed to know little about a two-decade debate over “backdoor” searches on Americans. He dodged a question about whether the NSA should participate in President Donald Trump’s crackdown on antifa. And when asked about whether he would illegally target Americans, he responded curtly that he would follow the law.

The backdoor searches are among of the most controversial issues about NSA spying. Under current law, the federal government is allowed to search for information on U.S. citizens and residents in the vast troves of communications the NSA has collected while searching for foreign threats.