Edward Snowden took less than previously thought, says …

As the intelligence community continues its assessment of the damage caused by Edward Snowdens leaks of secret programs, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper says it appears the impact may be less than once feared because it doesnt look like he [Snowden] took as much as first thought.

Were still investigating, but we think that a lot of what he looked at, he couldnt pull down, Clapper said in a rare interview at his headquarters Tuesday. Some things we thought he got he apparently didnt. Although somewhat less than expected, the damage is still profound, he said.

This assessment contrasts with the initial view in which officials, unsure of what Snowden had taken, assumed the worst including the possibility that he had compromised the communications networks that make up the militarys command and control system. Officials now think that dire forecast may have been too extreme.

Its impossible to assess independently the accuracy of what Clapper said, either about the damage Snowden allegedly caused or its mitigation. Thats one reason why a legal resolution of the case would be so valuable: It would establish the facts.

In the damage evaluation, the intelligence community has established three tiers of material: The first tier is the 300 or so documents that a senior intelligence official said news organizations in the United States or overseas have already published, often with redactions. The second is an additional 200,000 documents the United States believes Snowden or his associates gave to the media.

Its a third tier of documents, which Snowden is assumed to have taken but whose current status isnt known, for which officials have lowered the threat assessment. This batch of probably downloaded material is about 1.5 million documents, the senior official said. Thats below an earlier estimate of 1.77 million documents.

In the months immediately after June 2013, when Snowden began to reveal his cache of National Security Agency documents, U.S. officials said they couldnt be sure what he had seen and downloaded. Now, by piecing together a replication of top-secret files at the time, they have a better idea of what Snowden may have taken.

In Snowdens recent interview with NBC Newss Brian Williams, the former NSA contractor seemed eager to explore a deal that would allow him to return to the United States and face legal proceedings with some sort of negotiated plea agreement.

A senior intelligence official cautioned that any discussion of plea negotiations would be overseen by the Justice Department. He said the comment by NSA Deputy Director Rick Ledgett that there was room for discussions with Snowden reflected Ledgetts personal views only.

Plea negotiations are difficult if you start by saying youre a hero and wanting a parade, the senior official said, dismissing Snowdens characterization of his actions during the NBC interview as patriotic and constitutional. The intelligence community sharply disagrees with that self-assessment.

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Edward Snowden took less than previously thought, says ...