Congressional Study Group on Germany Co-Chairs Reps. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) and Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) called on Wednesday for President Obama to take corrective measures after allegedly tapping the telephone conversations of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Dent and Ryan called the alleged surveillance of Merkel “a serious error in judgment – one which needs to be rectified.”
“We have built an incredibly important and beneficial relationship with the people of Germany since the end of the second World War,” Dent said. “We must not jeopardize that vital relationship through the continuation of an outdated intelligence strategy.”
To rectify the situation, Dent and Ryan suggested that Obama offer Germany membership into the Five Eyes pact, a longtime agreement to gather and share intelligence between the U.S. and the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
The letter said that federal resources are scarce, and Germany’s admittance into the Five Eyes intelligence network would foster more collaboration and more efficient information collection that would better serve the U.S. and its allies.
The congressmen noted that Merkel has worked to strengthen the economic and political relationship between the U.S. and Germany, and surveillance of her phone could weaken those bonds.
“This misstep provides an opportunity to reevaluate the focus of intelligence activities involving vital friends and allies,” Dent and Ryan said.