More documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden show the U.S. was spying on the EU, The Guardian reported Sunday.
Documents obtained by the paper showed the NSA had bugged or tapped 38 embassies and missions in Washington, D.C. The targeted offices included allies Mexico, Japan, and South Korea, the paper reported.
None of the U.S. allies in western Europe were under surveillance, according to the document from 2010.
“If these facts are confirmed, this will be totally inacceptable [sic],” said Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister, in a statement Sunday.
In the EU, officials said they were shocked at the claims.
“With all respect for the security interests of the United States, this should not develop into paranoia that friends are alienated,” Martin Schulz, President of the EU parliament said in an interview with German magazine Der Spiegel. “I will ask the U.S. ambassador for explanations.”
A senior White House official told NBC News Sunday that the administration would not comment on “an intelligence matter.”
The latest round of allegations comes as American officials put the pressure on Ecuador to deny asylum to leaker Edward Snowden.
On Sunday, Democratic New York Senator Chuck Schumer called for the U.S. to not renew a $10 billion trade agreement with Ecuador if the country grants Snowden entry.
“Bottom-line, we should not be rewarding the government of a country that harbors fugitives, and we must send a clear, firm message to Ecuador that we will not tolerate these actions,” Schumer told NBC News, “I have great respect and admiration for the Ecuadorian people, but believe that the country’s government would be making a big mistake in harboring this man.”
Friday, Vice President Joe Biden spoke with Ecuadorian authorities and asked them to deny Snowden asylum, NBC News reported.
The place for in-depth analysis, commentary and informed perspectives.