http://www.todayonline.com/world/europe/us-bugged-phones-35-world-leaders-report
Phone numbers were passed on to the US National Security Agency (NSA) by an official in another government department, according to the documents, the Guardian said on its website.
It added that staff in the White House, State Department and the Pentagon were urged to share the contact details of foreign politicians.
“We are not going to comment publicly on every specific alleged intelligence activity, and as a matter of policy we have made clear that the United States gathers foreign intelligence of the type gathered by all nations,” a White House spokeswoman said, reacting to the report.
The revelations come after Germany demanded answers from Washington over allegations Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone was bugged, the worst spat between the two countries in a decade.
The White House did not deny the bugging, saying only it would not happen in future.
The identities of the politicians in question were not revealed.
The revelations in the centre-left Guardian suggested that the bugging of world leaders could be more widespread than originally thought, and the issue overshadowed an EU summit in Brussels.
Ms Merkel saying the allegations had shattered trust in the Obama administration and undermined the crucial trans-Atlantic relationship.
Ms Merkel’s unusually stern remarks as she arrived at the European Union gathering indicated she wasn’t placated by a phone conversation she had on Wednesday with President Barack Obama, or his personal assurances that the US is not listening in on her calls now.
“We need trust among allies and partners,” Ms Merkel told reporters in Brussels. “Such trust now has to be built anew. This is what we have to think about.”
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