Category Archives: Edward Snowden

Edward Snowden Opens Up in New Interview: “I Was Trained As a Spy”

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U.S. National Security Edward Snowden speaks with Brian Williams in an NBC News exclusive interview NBC News

Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor behind one of the biggest leaks of classified intelligence in American history, describes his previous job as more Bond-like than reported in the past.

Its no secret that the U.S. tends to get more and better intelligence out of computers nowadays than they do out of people, Snowden said in an excerpt from a new interview with NBC News Brian Williams that will air on Wednesday. I was trained as a spy in sort of the traditional sense of the word in that I lived and worked undercover overseas pretending to work in a job that Im not and even being assigned a name that was not mine.

The 30-year-old is currently living in Russia and wanted on espionage charges in the U.S. after he helped expose some of the National Security Agencys surveillance programs.

Snowden went on to say the U.S. government has tried to discredit him by downplaying the number of positions he held while working for the CIA and the NSA.

What theyre trying to do is theyre trying to use one position that Ive had in a career here or there to distract from the totality of my experience, said Snowden, who added that he worked at all levels from from the bottom on the ground all the way to the top.

So when they say Im a low-level systems administrator, that I dont know what Im talking about, Id say its somewhat misleading.

[NBC News]

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Edward Snowden Opens Up in New Interview: “I Was Trained As a Spy”

Edward Snowden ‘Considering’ Return to U.S.

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Whistleblower Edward Snowden is reportedly considering a return flight to the U.S., if certain conditions are met with the U.S. government.

"There are negotiations," Snowden's lawyer Wolfgang Kaleck told the German newspaper Der Spiegel, notes RT.com. "Those who know the case are aware that an amicable agreement with the U.S. authorities will be most reasonable.

According to Kaleck, Snowden isnt directly involved in the negotiations.

Kaleck said that Snowden did not act for personal gain and there is no evidence of any damage that has been caused.

"Thats why, one could hope that a democratic U.S. government paves the way back to him," Kaleck added.

Snowden is currently under temporary asylum in Moscow, Russia, because the U.S. canceled his passport while he was en route to another country.

Snowden, who gave a trove of NSA documents to journalists Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras in 2013, has been charged by the U.S. government for espionage and theft of government property.

The Guardian reported last week that a top-secret Pentagon report claimed the scope of the compromised knowledge related to US intelligence capabilities is staggering."

The 39-page report, which was prepared by the U.S. Defense Department in December 2013, says that the damage done to U.S. intelligence capabilities is grave," but the U.S. government refuses to provide any specific evidence to back up its dramatic claim.

Sources: The Guardian and RT.com

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Edward Snowden 'Considering' Return to U.S.

Scottish Nationalist Proposes Asylum For NSA Whistle-Blower Edward Snowden

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Scottish supporters of Edward Snowden say an independent Scotland shouldoffer political asylum to the man whose disclosure of classified NSA documents revealed pervasive U.S. surveillance around the world.

Members of theScottish parliament (MSPs) have considered a call for the former NSA contractor, who is currently being sheltered in Russia, to be given political asylum in Scotland if voters opt for independence in September's referendum.

Mick Napier, a former university lecturer, put forward a petition to the Scottish parliament's Public Petitions Committee, saying Snowden was owed a "debt of gratitude" for his actions and that hosting him would be an "honor for Scotland."

"Edward Snowden has revealed information to us that we would not otherwise know. It is of significance to every single citizen in Scotland," Napier said.

"He acted out of the purest of motives and an offer of asylum to the man by an independent Scottish government -- an offer made today conditional upon an outcome in September -- would itself be news and would allow the members of this committee to strike a blow for a private life for all of us."

Committee members expressed "sympathy" with Snowden's situation, with the ruling Scottish National Party's John Wilson even going as far as saying that he would make the offer now if Scotland had the power.

The proposals were greeted with fury by U.S. officials, with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich., saying Scotland should be more grateful toAmerica for "saving" Europe from the Nazis during World War II.

Speaking to the Scottish Sunday Express, Rogers said, "I am confounded that a close ally would consider granting asylum to a traitor whose leaks of military secrets have placed American and allied troops at risk, including Scottish soldiers serving proudly in Afghanistan.

"America and its allies bore great costs saving Western Europe, including Scotland, from the Nazis in World War II. The former NSA contractor should walk away from Vladimir Putin's embrace and face criminal charges in the United States for betraying his country."

Scottish politicians said further consideration of the petition would be deferred until after the referendum on Sept. 18.

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Scottish Nationalist Proposes Asylum For NSA Whistle-Blower Edward Snowden