Edward Snowden, the man some have called a hero and others a villain because he leaked the documents on the National Security Agency’s secret surveillance programs, was fired from his job with consulting firm Booz Allen. Meanwhile, his exact whereabouts remain unknown as the government tries to come up with a response to his actions.
As we previously reported, Snowden allowed the Guardian to publish his name and post a video interview with him. The 29-year-old claimed that he lived “a very comfortable life” with his girlfriend in Hawaii and earned a salary of $200,000 before he fled to Hong Kong after making copies of the documents.
However, in a statement to USA Today, Booz Allen has challenged his claims, saying that his salary was only $122,000. The firm added that he was terminated on Monday “for violations of the firm's code of ethics and firm policy.”
“News reports that this individual has claimed to have leaked classified information are shocking, and if accurate, this action represents a grave violation of the code of conduct and core values of our firm,” the full statement reads. “We will work closely with our clients and authorities in their investigation of this matter.”
According to Fox News, the Justice Department is considering charging him, but his location is unknown. He checked out of the Hong Kong hotel where he stayed.
Snowden admitted to leaking the documents that revealed that the NSA was gathering phone records and that a secret program called PRISM monitored Internet activity.