Snowden Takes On US Report That Claims He's 'No Whistleblower'

By teleSUR

16 September 16

 

The two-year investigation was a waste of time and money and “the American people deserve better,” he tweeted on Thursday.

histleblower Edward Snowden shut down the U.S. House intelligence committee’s damning report on Thursday against his plea for a presidential pardon, calling out factual errors and tweeting that “the American people deserve better.”

The bipartisan report accuses former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden—“not a whistleblower”—of leaking information that "caused tremendous damage" to U.S. national security. It also claims he lied about his background and feuded with co-workers.

Snowden went to Twitter to debunk the claims line by line, clarifying that data he exfiltrated was from an approved data handler and not an unapproved one—an attempt to “conflate my authorized government work with my unauthorized whistleblowing,” he tweeted—and reminding the committee that the mass surveillance programs he exposed were ruled illegal by a federal appeals court last year.

The main argument of the report was that most of the material Snowden leaked from the NSA was not about invasions of privacy, but rather “secrets that protect American troops overseas and secrets that provide vital defenses against terrorists and nation-states."

The committee released only a four-page summary of what it said was a 36-page investigative report that remains "Top Secret." The summary contained strong words about Snowden's actions and background, saying he "was and remains a serial exaggerator and fabricator."

The report also disputes Snowden's motives for taking and leaking classified information, saying he got into a "workplace spat" with NSA managers in June 2012 over how to manage computer updates. It claims a contracting officer reprimanded him for failing to follow proper grievance procedures, and he began downloading classified information two weeks later.

Snowden retorted, “That doesn't say good things about going through ‘proper channels’ at NSA. Not sure they understand how this hurts their case.”

He also retweeted tongue-in-cheek conspiracies about the timing of the report, which came a day before the release of the Oliver Stone biopic “Snowden.”

Ben Wizner, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union who represents Snowden, said the report's release a day before the Snowden film opens "is evidence that people in the intelligence community are taking us seriously, that they are concerned that Oliver Stone's movie will help solidify Snowden's image as a true patriot, which he is."

He added that the report lacked substance, agreeing with Snowden, who said the report “diminishes the committee.”

U.S. officials have said President Barck Obama is not considering a pardon for Snowden, who is facing criminal charges for providing classified information to unauthorized persons.