Today, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) — the co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus — issued a statement condemning the NSA spying programs revealed this week:

ai???This indiscriminate data collection underminesAi??Americansai??i?? basic freedoms.Ai?? While there are legitimate law enforcement uses for this data, the scope of the program isAi??aAi??serious case of mission creep andcreates a veryAi??slippery slope.Ai?? Gathering this data just in case it contains something useful does not qualify as an urgent law enforcement exercise.

ai???Our citizensai??i?? right to privacy is fundamental and non-negotiable. Domestic surveillance should only be conducted when there is an imminent need for information.Ai??The dragnet nature of this tracking suggests there was no such imminent threat, making this is a misuse of sections of the Patriot Act to collect the personal information of millions of Americans.Ai??The program weai??i??re hearing about today seems not to respect that boundary.Ai??It, and any other programs the NSA is running with other telecom companies, should end.ai???