German Government Says Cooperation with NSA Spying Was 'Strictly Legal'

Leadership accused of being in bed with the program

Angela Merkel's government said on Monday that its cooperation with American intelligence was fully regulated by strict legal guidelines after a magazine reported that the U.S. National Security Agency was in close cahoots with German spies.

Germany's opposition, with an eye on September's election, when the chancellor will seek a third term, demanded that her government explain how much it knew about U.S. surveillance tactics ahead of talks with Washington about the NSA.

"In the light of the latest media reports, it is even more urgent to ask what Germany's secret services and above all what the Chancellery knew about eavesdropping activities," said the Social Democrats' (SPD) chancellor candidate, Peer Steinbrueck.