A classified congressional report on Edward Snowden’s stunning 2013 removal of top secret National Security Agency documents was approved Thursday by the House Intelligence Committee. But Snowden will have you wondering if someone isn’t watching you through the camera on your laptop computer, or listening to your conversation via your smartphone.
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Snowden also argues that changes enacted by Congress, courts, and the president are reflective of the benefits that society has gained from his actions, claiming “there has never been any public evidence that any individual came to harm as a result”. All that matters is whether the leaks were shared with someone unauthorized to receive them, regardless of whether that someone is a foreign enemy or a reputable journalist.
Wanted in the United States for violating the Espionage Act, he faces at least 30 years in jail if convicted there. The groups are also raising the issue of whistle-blower protection and rights. “But we believe that he should return to the United States and face these charges”, Earnest added.
The whistleblower has since been seeking asylum in Russian Federation at “an undisclosed location”.
“Edward Snowden’s case presents one for President Obama to use the presidential power of pardon proudly and unequivocally, in recognition of one of the most important acts of whistleblowing in modern history”, said Anthony Romero, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Whether you’ve only scanned the boldest headlines, caught a showing of Citizenfour, or even pored over Edward Snowden’s Wikipedia page with a fine-toothed comb, there’s plenty that Oliver Stone’s latest high-stakes biopic can inform you about its hero’s journey from patriotic everyman to enemy of the state.
“He put our service members and the American people at risk after perceived slights by his superiors”, Nunes said in a statement.
Snowden’s revelations about the agency’s bulk collection of millions of Americans’ phone records set off a fierce debate that pit civil libertarians concerned about privacy against more hawkish lawmakers fearful about losing tools to combat terrorism.
“I will be voting”, Snowden said Friday, speaking at a conference in Athens by video link from Moscow, where he has been in exile for the past three years.
Snowden’s attorney denounces the committee’s report. “That is not what Mr Snowden did”, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said.
But BBC said that the White House is bent on making an example out of Edward Snowden.
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He added, “The truth is that Edward Snowden and the journalists with whom he worked did the job that the House Intelligence Committee was supposed to do: bring meaningful oversight to the USA intelligence community”.
