You Might Be Surprised by Who Said U.S. Gov't Shouldn't Prosecute Reporter Who Revealed NSA Spying

WASHINGTON (TheBlaze/AP) — A former director of the National Security Agency said he doesn't see the need for the U.S. government to prosecute the New York Times reporter who revealed the agency's warrantless surveillance of Americans.

Still Michael Hayden said on "60 Minutes" Sunday that he's "conflicted" about whether reporter James Risen should be compelled to reveal his sources.

Risen is facing potential jail time as he battles government efforts to force him to testify at the trial of a former CIA officer accused of leaking classified information.

Hayden added that while Risen's reporting damaged national security, it's "wrong" if "the method of redressing that actually harms the broad freedom of the press."

Hayden said "government needs to be strong enough" to keep us safe, but not so strong that it threatens individual liberties.