Gen. Keith Alexander, who leads the National Security Agency, deferred answering a question about the legal basis for the surveillance of American phone records until a classified briefing with the Senate Intelligence Committee, with the Justice Department’s assistance.

“On the legal standards and stuff, on this part here, I think we need to get the Department of Justice,” Alexander replied when Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., asked him to explain how data collection on all American phone calls meets the legal standards required under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and other relevant laws.