The Bush administration has responded to the latest in the domestic spy scandal with near silence. At the White House, President Bush declined to address Thursday’s report the National Security Agency was creating a database of phone call records with the help of three of the country’s largest telecom companies. The President said only that the spy program was lawful — but did not cite any constitutional or legal authority to back up his claim. At another press conference, CIA Director nominee Michael Hayden, who headed the NSA at the time the spy program was implemented, said he would not discuss any specifics. Hayden made the comments after he unexpectedly cancelled meetings with Senators to discuss his nomination. On Capitol Hill, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Arlen Specter announced he would call officials from the three telecom companies — AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth — accused of helping the government spy on US citizens. Congressmember Maurice Hinchey repeated his calls for a full investigation.

• Maurice Hinchey: “This administration has cultivated in this country a culture of fear. They can engage in whatever they want to no matter how viscously and that is exactly what they are doing in this particular NSA program.