Dan Coats

Clearly, we are in a situation--we're not in a passive situation from a world threats standpoint.

I want to make sure that we do everything possible, first, to educate everyone so that they understand what is authorized and what is not authorized.

I will do my best to work to try to find out if we can get that number, but I need first to find out about why we can't get it.

you will have the unique challenge of working for a President who has said comments that I believe at times have denigrated some of the work of the intelligence community.

I do think it's at least worth discussion relative to the situation that might occur where we might have to, hopefully with some special authority, might have to go outside that.

I have found that statutory requirements, Executive Orders, directives, have added functions to the DNI...

Yes, where appropriate.

Our job is to provide the truth, and power goes to those people who are in a position to make those determinations, make policy, make corrections, make laws, et cetera.

I absolutely support that. That is the law.

we need to act sooner rather than later.

We have sent them information as to how to modify it. It has not been addressed yet, but I have been reassured over and over and over by the President and his staff that absolutely that's what their intent was and they expect me to be…

If we didn't learn anything from these incidents, then shame on us.

702 is designed to go after foreign bad guys. It's lawful collection.

We cannot afford to be behind the curve in terms of development of both the offensive and defensive capacities that we put up into space.

We want to do everything we can to make sure those private rights are secure.

I couldn't agree with you more. A lot of my colleagues have heard me talk when I was a member of the committee about finding that balance.

That's my authority. That's my obligation.

I absolutely believe that is my responsibility and the responsibility of the IC, to provide what this committee needs to do its oversight properly.

I have no intention of holding anything back from this committee, the access to this committee that they need.

Agility is critical in this time of rapid technological change.

So encryption has a very positive effect and is needed.

I can absolutely say that I have no other obligation except to follow the law on that.

It's kind of an 'all of above' category here, I think, given the diversity of threats that we have.

I may be wrong in saying it was a Bush-era.

I think that it needs to be under my authority. And I've made that very, very clear.