Politicsnsa surveillanceNSAsurveillance

Sen. Marco Rubio To European Leaders: 'Everyone Spies On Everybody' (VIDEO)

Marco Rubio: 'Everyone Spies On Everybody'

As European leaders express their fury at the news that the United States may be spying on them and their countrymen, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has dismissed their outrage, assuring the international community that widespread surveillance is merely par for the course.

“These leaders are responding to domestic pressures in their own countries, none of them are truly shocked about any of this,” Rubio told CNN Friday. “Everyone spies on everybody, I mean that’s just a fact.”

Reports released this week implicated the U.S. National Security Agency in the widespread surveillance of thousands of European Union citizens and governments.

According to Reuters, a delegation of EU lawmakers will be traveling to Washington next week to demand answers from the U.S. government regarding the spying allegations.

Despite the indignation of European leaders (the German Justice Minister previously said the alleged surveillance reminded her of the Cold War), Rubio -- who has defended domestic surveillance programs in the past -- implied that some of them may be behaving hypocritically, telling CNN:

“Whether they want to acknowledge that publicly or not -- and every country has different capabilities -- but at the end of the day if you are a U.S. government official traveling abroad, you are aware that anything you have on your cell phone, on your iPad, can be monitored by foreign intelligence agencies including that of your own allies."

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Before You Go

World Leaders React To NSA Spying
Vladimir Putin, President Of Russia(01 of08)
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Russian President Vladimir Putin called the massive U.S. surveillance programs, revealed last week by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, “generally practicable” and “the way a civilized society should go about fighting terrorism.”Russian President Vladimir Putin listens during a meeting with prosecutor general Yuri Chaika, not pictured, at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow on Tuesday, July 9, 2013. (AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Alexei Nikolsky, Presidential Press Service) (credit:AP)
William Hague, Foreign Secretary Of The United Kingdom(02 of08)
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In a statement to Parliament, Hague said the UK's information-sharing relationship with the U.S. was "essential to the security of the country" and had "saved many lives."British Foreign Secretary William Hague speaks at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Tuesday, June 25, 2013 in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) (credit:AP)
Martin Schulz, President Of The European Parliament(03 of08)
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"I am deeply worried and shocked about the allegations," European Parliament President Martin Schulz said in a statement. "If the allegations prove to be true, it would be an extremely serious matter which will have a severe impact on EU-U.S. relations. On behalf of the European Parliament, I demand full clarification and require further information speedily from the U.S. authorities with regard to these allegations."Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, delivers a speech during the funeral ceremony of former Hungarian Prime Minister Gyula Horn at the Fiumei cemetery in Budapest on July 8, 2013. (PETER KOHALMI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, German Justice Minister(04 of08)
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German Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger "said if the accusations were true, it was reminiscent of the Cold War," ministry spokesman Anders Mertzlufft said, adding that the minister "has asked for an immediate explanation from the United States."German Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger arrives for the weekly German federal Cabinet meeting on July 10, 2013 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Laurent Fabius, French Foreign Minister(05 of08)
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French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius called for a swift explanation from American authorities. "These acts, if they are confirmed, would be absolutely unacceptable," he said in a statement.French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius speaks to journalists upon arrival for the Donor Conference for Development in Mali, in Brussels, Wednesday, May 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Yves Logghe) (credit:AP)
Cristina Fernandez, President Of Argentina(06 of08)
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"A shiver ran down my back when I learned that they are spying on all of us," Argentine President Cristina Fernandez said in a speech on July 9.Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner speaks to the press upon her arrival for a meeting with other leftist Latin American leaders called after Bolivia's President Evo Morales plane was rerouted in Europe amid suspicions US fugitive Edward Snowden was aboard, in the Bolivian central city of Cochabamba, on July 4, 2013. (JORGE BERNAL/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Ollanta Humala, President Of Peru(07 of08)
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"We are against these kinds of espionage activities,"Peruvian President Ollanta Humala said in a televised interview. "It would be good for (Peru's) Congress to look with concern at privacy issues related to personal information."Peruvian President Ollanta Humala talks to the assistants to the ceremony of signature of a loan to Peru aiming to improve Ministry of Education systems the to assess student learning and to monitor pedagogical practices in regulating basic education signed by at the presidential Palace in Lima, Peru, on July 1, 2013 (CRIS BOURONCLE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Gilberto Carvalho, Top Aide To Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff(08 of08)
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Gilberto Carvalho, a top aide to President Dilma Rousseff, said a "very hard" response to the United States was needed. "If we lower our heads, they will trample all over us tomorrow," he said.Gilberto Carvalho, chief minister of the general secretariat of the presidency, talks about the protests across the country during a meeting marking World Youth Day at the presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, June 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) (credit:AP)
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