President Obama’s nomination for FBI director, James B. Comey, said before his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday that he supports the National Security Agency’s widespread surveillance programs including the monitoring of U.S. citizens’ phone calls and online communications.

Comey said that while he is currently “not familiar with the details of the current programs,” he insisted that he does know “as a general matter” that “the collection and analysis of metadata is a valuable tool in counter-terrorism.”

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His comments come amid growing criticisms of the agency’s all-encompassing spying techniques.

Later, while promising to be a “voice for transparency” and a protector of whistleblowers within the Bureau, Comey simultaneously suggested that the so-called “shield law,” which protects journalists from having to reveal their sources, should be subject to exception in national security cases.

“I can only say with confidence that it’s very important for the next director to continue the transformation of the FBI into an intelligence agency,” Comey added during the three-hour hearing, which the Guardian’s Spencer Ackerman said was more “like a coronation” than a confirmation hearing, where Comey enjoyed “very solid support.”