Senators skip NSA briefing, head home early

According to The Hill, a briefing by senior intelligence officials on surveillance programs failed to attract even half of the Senate, showing the lack of enthusiasm in Congress for learning about classified security programs.
 
At the same time that many lawmakers have complained that they have been kept in the dark about the NSA's far-reaching surveillance program, a majority of senators elected to leave Washington early last Thursday instead of attending the classified briefing with James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, Keith Alexander, the head of the National Security Agency (NSA), and other key officials. 
The briefing also included the former chief judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court and Sean Joyce, the deputy director of the FBI.

The Hill reported that the Senate's last vote of the week was held shortly after noon and "many lawmakers were eager to take advantage of the short day and head back to their home states for Father’s Day weekend.

"Only 47 of 100 senators attended the 2:30 p.m. briefing, leaving dozens of chairs in the secure meeting room empty as Clapper, Alexander and other senior officials told lawmakers about classified programs to monitor millions of telephone calls and broad swaths of Internet activity. The room on the lower level of the Capitol Visitor Center is large enough to fit the entire Senate membership, according to a Senate aide.