US spy hearing a ‘priority’

A KEY Republican committee chairman put the Bush administration on notice yesterday that his panel would hold hearings into a report that the National Security Agency eavesdropped without warrants on people inside the United States.

Republican senator Arlen Specter said he would make oversight hearings by his panel next year "a very, very high priority."

"There is no doubt that this is inappropriate," said Mr Specter, a chairman of the Judiciary Committee.