Chancellor Angela Merkel is acknowledging Germans have been unsettled by allegations of widespread U.S. surveillance though she insists patience is needed as officials seek answers from Washington.
Ms. Merkel faced a barrage of questions about the National Security Agency’s activities at a news conference Friday following a week in which her opponents have asserted she’s doing too little to confront the U.S. and protect Germans’ data. Germany holds elections Sept. 22 in which Ms. Merkel seeks a third term.
Ms. Merkel said her government is still awaiting answers from the U.S. to detailed questions and hopes to receive them “as soon as possible” but didn’t set any specific deadline.
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Polls so far suggest Germans believe the government knew what the U.S. was doing but that appears not to have affected voting intentions.