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Snowden's lawyers screw up his NSA challenge
Snowden to NSA: Go ahead, deny I tried to raise the alarm legally
Speaking to Vanity Fair, the whistle-blower says that before leaking secret documents, he contacted people within the spy agency about its surveillance practices -- and that email records will prove it.
Whistle-blower Edward Snowden has challenged the National Security Agency to explicitly deny that he tried -- before leaking secret documents to journalists -- to use legal, internal means to raise a red flag about the possibly unconstitutional nature of the outfit's surveillance programs.
"The NSA at this point not only knows I raised complaints, but that there is evidence that I made my concerns known to the NSA's lawyers, because I did some of it through e-mail. I directly challenge the NSA to deny that I contacted NSA oversight and compliance bodies directly via e-mail and that I specifically expressed concerns about their suspect interpretation of the law, and I welcome members of Congress to request a written answer [from the NSA] to this question," Snowden told Vanity Fair in a feature that's scheduled for publication later this week.
- more -
http://www.cnet.com/news/edward-snowden-challenges-nsa-to-deny-he-tried-to-raise-alarm-legally/
Speaking to Vanity Fair, the whistle-blower says that before leaking secret documents, he contacted people within the spy agency about its surveillance practices -- and that email records will prove it.
Whistle-blower Edward Snowden has challenged the National Security Agency to explicitly deny that he tried -- before leaking secret documents to journalists -- to use legal, internal means to raise a red flag about the possibly unconstitutional nature of the outfit's surveillance programs.
"The NSA at this point not only knows I raised complaints, but that there is evidence that I made my concerns known to the NSA's lawyers, because I did some of it through e-mail. I directly challenge the NSA to deny that I contacted NSA oversight and compliance bodies directly via e-mail and that I specifically expressed concerns about their suspect interpretation of the law, and I welcome members of Congress to request a written answer [from the NSA] to this question," Snowden told Vanity Fair in a feature that's scheduled for publication later this week.
- more -
http://www.cnet.com/news/edward-snowden-challenges-nsa-to-deny-he-tried-to-raise-alarm-legally/
Here are his lawyers today:
<...>
Snowden supporters and advisers say Clinton's remarks were unrealistic and reflect several factual misunderstandings about his predicament. They say he could not have availed himself of whistleblower protections because he was not a government employee (he worked for contractor Booz Allen) and his claims would not have been viewed as exposing any impropriety because authorities in all three branches of government had blessed the NSA telephone program as legal. A federal judge not privy to the program before the leaks later ruled it unconstitutional, but that decision is on appeal.
"Was he supposed to call the Senate Intelligence Committee and say, 'I'd like to report to you a program you approved in secret...'?" Snowden legal adviser Ben Wizner of the American Civil Liberties Union said in an interview Friday. "Snowden is not a person who stumbled upon this ltitle secret pocket of misconduct....This wasn’t a situation where it's a question of how to tell the boss and tell Congress—his bosses and Congress were the problem."
<...>
Another Snowden adviser reacted even more harshly. "As for her ignorance about the problem with the lack of 'channels' for national security whistleblowers, she's either out of touch or lying," said Jesselyn Radack of the Government Accountability Project.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2014/04/hillary-clinton-faults-edward-snowden-for-fleeing-187445.html
Snowden supporters and advisers say Clinton's remarks were unrealistic and reflect several factual misunderstandings about his predicament. They say he could not have availed himself of whistleblower protections because he was not a government employee (he worked for contractor Booz Allen) and his claims would not have been viewed as exposing any impropriety because authorities in all three branches of government had blessed the NSA telephone program as legal. A federal judge not privy to the program before the leaks later ruled it unconstitutional, but that decision is on appeal.
"Was he supposed to call the Senate Intelligence Committee and say, 'I'd like to report to you a program you approved in secret...'?" Snowden legal adviser Ben Wizner of the American Civil Liberties Union said in an interview Friday. "Snowden is not a person who stumbled upon this ltitle secret pocket of misconduct....This wasn’t a situation where it's a question of how to tell the boss and tell Congress—his bosses and Congress were the problem."
<...>
Another Snowden adviser reacted even more harshly. "As for her ignorance about the problem with the lack of 'channels' for national security whistleblowers, she's either out of touch or lying," said Jesselyn Radack of the Government Accountability Project.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2014/04/hillary-clinton-faults-edward-snowden-for-fleeing-187445.html
Snowden's allies are running around in circles trying to defend him. Recently, Snowden has been trying to claim that he tried to go through the proper channels, but here is his lawyer reiterating that he couldn't go to his "bosses."
Snowden recently changed his story because he's still desperate for clemency
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024640825
These are the same Snowden allies who tried to claim that playing Putin's tool was a "brave" and "brilliant" before acknowledging that it was "screw-up."
Snowden’s Camp: Staged Putin Q&A Was a Screw-Up
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024852509
4 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
He can't be a genius one day, and a screw-up the next. But consistency doesn't seem to be a strong suit. 
Shocking....
