Edward Snowden, the former government contractor who leaked National Security Agency documents, has denied accusations that he worked with Russia. He says he acted alone in exposing the secrets of the NSA’s spying programs.
“This ‘Russian spy’ push is absurd,” Snowden told The New Yorker. He is still in Moscow, which has granted him asylum.
Accusations that Snowden worked with Russia popped up from legislators who suggested that it was no coincidence that he was granted asylum in Moscow. Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan said on Meet The Press Sunday that Snowden is a “thief, who we believe had some help,” reports MSNBC.
Rogers, who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, told host David Gregory that it was not a “coincidence” or “a gee-whiz luck event that he ended up in Moscow under the handling of the F.S.B.”
Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California didn’t deny Rogers’ statements, but said Snowden “may well have” worked with someone. “We don’t know at this stage,” she added.
In his New Yorker interview, Snowden said he “clearly and unambiguously acted alone, with no assistance from anyone, much less a government.” He continued, “It won’t stick…. Because it’s clearly false, and the American people are smarter than politicians think they are.”
Snowden also said that if he was a spy, he wouldn't have had to go to Hong Kong first or spend 40 days in the Moscow airport transit zone.
Meanwhile, The New York Times reported on Sunday that a FBI official told the paper that the bureau still believes that Snowden acted alone.
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