U.S. spy chief says allies spy on America's leaders, intelligence services

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testifies at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act legislation on Capitol Hill in Washington, September 26, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Reed

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said on Tuesday that foreign allies regularly conduct espionage activities against American leaders and intelligence services. In response to a series of questions during a hearing before the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, Clapper said spying on foreign leaders was a basic tenet of intelligence operations. (Reporting by Tabassum Zakaria and Deborah Charles; editing by Christopher Wilson)