One reason the NSA's PR offensive must be so vigorous is that its old PR strategy sounds a lot like lies. In a March 12 Senate hearing, Sen. Ron Wyden asked Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, "Does the NSA collect any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans?" Clapper responded, "No, sir... Not wittingly." Since last week, it's become clear that Clapper's statement was not exactly true. Clapper's given a series of interviews to explain the comment, each time getting closer to admitting that what he said was not true.

Clapper explained that comment to National Journal's Michael Hirsh last week by saying, "What I said was, the NSA does not voyeuristically pore through U.S. citizens' e-mails. I stand by that." A few days later he told NBC’s Andrea Mitchell, "I responded in what I thought was the most truthful, or least untruthful manner, by saying no." He said his comment was "too cute by half." Wyden revealed he'd sent Clapper the question in advance, so he had time to think of a way to answer the question that was even less untruthful. Wyden's office also gave Clapper a chance to amend his statement, at which point he could have made it less cute. Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler gave Clapper three Pinocchios on Wednesday. Michigan Rep. Justin Amash was less geneous, demanding Clapper's resignation on Facebook. "Members of Congress can't make informed decisions on intelligence issues when the head of the intelligence community willfully makes false statements," Amash said. "Perjury is a serious crime. Mr. Clapper should resign immediately."

Clapper wasn't the only official who was cute with facts. In February, NSA general counsel Rajesh De gave a speech to debunk "false myths" about the agency. Those were that the NSA "is a vacuum that indiscriminately sweeps up and stores global communications"; that it "is spying on Americans at home and abroad with questionable or no legal basis"; and that it "operates in the shadows free from external scrutiny or any true accountability." De's debunking has been debunked.

NSA director Keith Alexander will testify before the Senate on Wednesday, as will Richard McFeely, the executive assistant director of the FBI's criminal, cyber, response, and services branch. Wyden says he wants Clapper to come back to the Senate to give "straight answers."

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.

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