Edward Snowden ‘Probably’ Not a Russian Spy, New NSA Chief Says

By M. Alex Johnson

The new head of the National Security Agency said Tuesday he doesn't believe former NSA contractor Edward Snowden is or was a Russian spy.

Adm. Michael Rogers, who became head of the U.S.'s spy infrastructure in April, said at a cybersecurity event organized by Bloomberg Government that while he believed it was "wrong" and "illegal" for Snowden to have leaked thousands of classified documents, he appeared to be doing what he sincerely thought was right.

Asked whether he thought Snowden was or is working for the FSB, the Russian security service, Rogers said: "Could he have? Possibly. Do I believe that that's the case? Probably not."

Asked about Snowden's exclusive interview with NBC News' Brian Williams last month, Rogers said he wanted to be "very balanced."

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"I thought he was an intelligent individual [and] articulate. He seemed fairly arrogant to me," Rogers said. "He clearly believes in what he's doing."

Rogers' view is different from that of his predecessor, Gen. Keith Alexander, who was also asked about the NBC News interview Tuesday on Bloomberg News.

Speaking about Snowden's claim that he was "trained as a spy in sort of the traditional sense of the word," Alexander said he wished Snowden had told him that when Snowden went to work for the NSA.

"What I do not know is who he was a spy for," Alexander said.

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Edward Snowden 'Probably' Not a Russian Spy, New NSA Chief Says