In damage-control mode, President Obama phoned Francois Hollande on Tuesday to discuss stories published this week which revealed that US spies had tapped the French president’s phone.
Obama, notably, stopped short of denying the reports.
“The President reiterated that we have abided by the commitment we made to our French counterparts in late 2013 that we are not targeting and will not target the communications of the French President,” according to a carefully-worded White House readout of the conversation. WikiLeaks released documents on Tuesday showing that between at least 2006 and 2012, the National Security Agency intercepted the communications of high-level French officials, including former presidents Jacques Chirac and Nicholas Sarkozy, and Hollande.
The White House statement about the conversation between Hollande and Obama doesn’t address allegations of US spying that occurred before 2013.
The espionage turned up several sensitive details about internal French deliberations on global affairs, including on the Greek Eurozone crisis and negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian officials.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, administration spokesman Josh Earnest offered a similarly worded non-denial, saying the president was very clear that the US “does not target and will not target the communications of the president of France.”
When pressed on if President Obama talked to his French counterpart about surveillance activities prior to 2013, Earnest shut the door on the conversation.
“I don’t have any more details to share about their private conversation,” he told reporters.
Documents released by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden previously revealed NSA spying on world leaders friendly with the US, including Germany’s head of state, Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The Wikileaks report shows what type of intelligence was gleaned from the French intercepts.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said in a statement on Tuesday, “The French people have a right to know that their elected government is subject to hostile surveillance from a supposed ally.”
He promised that “French readers can expect more timely and important revelations in the near future.”
