Snowden claims he raised concerns about NSA internally 10 times before leaking documents

Edward Snowden claimed that a damaging culture of silence exists at the NSA In testimony to the European Parliament said that he tried to complain ten times about their spying programs to superiors Was advised to keep quiet and to maintain a low profile Said that as a contractor with no legal protection from complaining was left with no choice but to leak the information to the press

By James Nye

PUBLISHED: 17:29 EST, 9 March 2014 | UPDATED: 17:29 EST, 9 March 2014

Whistleblower: Edward Snowden, who worked as a contract employee at the National Security Agency claims he tried to complain 10 times to his superiors

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden claims that he tried 10 times to make formal complaints about government spy programs but no one listened to him.

According to testimony given to the European Parliament released on Friday the former NSA contractor claims that as a contractor, rather than a government worker, he was not protected from raising concerns and decided to take matters into his own hands.

Instead of benefiting from Obama's Presidential Policy Directive 19, under which federal employees can question classified programs, Snowden felt that 'individuals like me were left with no proper channels.'

'As an employee of a private company rather than a direct employee of the U.S. government, I was not protected by U.S. whistle-blower laws, and I would not have been protected from retaliation and legal sanction for revealing classified information about lawbreaking in accordance with the recommended process,' Snowden said in his testimony according to the Washington Post.

Snowden previously worked for the CIA before joining the NSA in Hawaii as a contractor from Booz Allen Hamilton.

Private: The Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp office building is seen in McLean, Virginia June 11, 2013. Contracting firm Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp fired Edward Snowden, after he admitted to releasing information on the U.S. government's broad monitoring of American's phone and Internet data

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Snowden claims he raised concerns about NSA internally 10 times before leaking documents