Never Saying 'never'

Posted on the 24 October 2013 by Hughvw
German Chancellor Angela Merkel complained to President Barack Obama that U.S. intelligence tapped her mobile phone, with her government publicly calling the alleged behavior “a serious breach of trust” if true.
Obama responded on Wednesday with a telephone call to Merkel. And here’s the interesting part of the White House readout of that conversation:  "The President assured the Chancellor that the United States is not monitoring and will not monitor the communications of Chancellor Merkel,” the statement said.
“Is not”? “Will not”? They're a far cry from “has never.”  [Source]       [BJS]