US Says Now Less Interested in Deal with Snowden – Reports

MOSCOW, July 28 (RIA Novosti) One year after disclosures on the global surveillance, Washington is less interested in reaching a deal with former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, political journalism organization Politico reported Monday.

"As time goes on, the utility for us of having that conversation becomes less It's been over a year since he had access to our networks and our information so the need for us to understand that greater level of detail is lesser and lesser," Politico cited NSA Deputy Director Rick Ledgett as saying.

Ledgett was one of the first US officials to publically discuss the possibility of amnesty or leniency for Snowden if he did not publish the remaining secret documents that he possessed. According to the NSA, a year ago Snowden had about 1.5 million unpublished documents.

Ledgett, who was recently promoted after handling the NSA's response to the Snowden revelations, thinks that over time Snowdens lawyers might have a weaker bargaining position.

"So, as time goes on, his information becomes less useful," Ledgett said.

Nevertheless, Ledgett acknowledged that the impact of Snowden's leaks on the spy agency's ability to gather information was serious.

In June 2013, Snowden leaked information about the extensive electronic surveillance programs conducted by the US government around the globe, including eavesdropping on US citizens and foreign leaders. The revelations strained relationships between Washington and their European partners.

The United States charged Snowden with espionage and revoked his passport. Snowden is now settled in Russia, which granted him asylum status for a year. As the term ended in July 2014, Snowden applied for an extension of his stay.

Back at home, Snowden is accused of theft, unauthorized communication of national defense information and willful communication of classified documents to an unauthorized person. Each of the three charges carries a maximum possible prison term of 10 years.

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US Says Now Less Interested in Deal with Snowden – Reports