But, few congressmen had any idea of the true extent of this; and Clapper has already admitted to being untruthful to them.

Which leaves the president. You can't believe that providing 1 bit of information every four years is sufficient to maintain a democracy, can you?

While there are allowed exceptions, a Republic operates on a default assumption of public access and transparency in government, and the liberty and privacy of the individual. The converse system, where there is a presumption of secrecy in government, and transparency of the individual, is a tyranny, as government, the people's servant, has become their master.