Two U.S. House committees are investigating a report by the Wall Street Journal that the United States has continued to spy on the Israeli prime minister because of his opposition to the Iran nuclear deal.
The House Intelligence Committee and House Oversight Committee on December 30 asked for documents and a briefing from the White House National Security Agency about the agency's surveillance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the Iran nuclear negotiations.
Of particular concern to legislators was the Journal's December 29 report that the agency listened in on conversations where Netanyahu sought to persuade undecided U.S. legislators to vote against the deal.
Netanyahu is among the most outspoken opponents of the nuclear deal, and he is joined by Republicans in Congress, who voted unanimously against the deal.
The security agency usually informs Congress when it overhears conversations with legislators, but the intelligence committee was not informed about the Netanyahu conversations, committee chairman Devin Nunes told the Associated Press.