Snowden May Have Been a Deliberate Infiltrator for Liberty

The ongoing real-life spy story of Edward Snowden has had some people wondering if he is the real deal, a man driven by conscience after seeing the spying apparatus from the inside, a CIA asset … or perhaps a deliberate infiltrator.

As covered in the video below, Snowden has aligned himself with WikiLeaks and is now taking a flight to parts unknown with their assistance.

A new twist to the story is that Snowden stated to The South China Morning Post that he deliberately took his position with Booz Allen Hamilton so that he could collect documents as evidence of NSA’s spying on American citizens.

“My position with Booz Allen Hamilton granted me access to lists of machines all over the world the NSA hacked,” he told the Post on June 12. “That is why I accepted that position about three months ago.”

He has also claimed that he uncovered NSA hacking into systems in Hong Kong as well – the destination he first chose for his flight from the United States. Snowden’s timeline could become something of interest for U.S. prosecutors who have charged him under the 1917 Espionage Act.

Snowden also stated that more documents will be released to journalists:

If I have time to go through this information, I would like to make it available to journalists in each country to make their own assessment, independent of my bias, as to whether or not the knowledge of US network operations against their people should be published.

Full video transcript with research links below…

by Matt Moreno

The Snowden saga continues. The American whistleblower is reportedly in Russia after fleeing from his hiding place in Hong Kong. And now the man wanted for espionage says the only reason he took his previous job was to get confidential data he could leak.

The South China Morning Post reported Monday Edward Snowden took his job at U.S. security contractor Booz Allen Hamilton just to get proof the U.S. was spying on its citizens.

Snowden reportedly told the paper June 12th: “My position with Booz Allen Hamilton granted me access to lists of machines all over the world the NSA hacked … That is why I accepted that position about three months ago.”

Snowden reportedly arrived in Moscow Sunday, but didn’t make an expected flight to Cuba on Monday. (Via Twitter / @maxseddon)

He’s reportedly seeking political asylum in Ecuador, the same country sheltering WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange — a man who continues to split public opinion.

WikiLeaks burst onto the international stage in 2010 with the release of the Afghan War documents. The 90,000 files documented the war in Afghanistan nearly piece by piece. It’s considered one of the biggest leaks in U.S. history. (Via The Guardian)

But WikiLeaks has been relatively quiet as of late — until their association with Snowden put the group in the headlines again.

WikiLeaks released a statement Sunday claiming its legal team was helping Snowden with advice and is footing the bill for his travel arrangements.

“Edward Snowden is not a traitor. He’s not a spy. He is a whistleblower” (Via Sky News)

So will Snowden’s involvement with Assange’s group help or hurt his standing in the eyes of the public? Snowden’s contact at The Guardian, Glenn Greenwald, says it’s irrelevant, telling CNN the government will smear Snowden no matter who he associates with.

“The attacks on him, on his personality, on claims to be able to assess his psychological state — that he’s a narcissist, all of that — were well underway long before WikiLeaks began to be involved.” (Via CNN)

But Gawker’s Adrian Chen seems to take a different view, saying Snowden lost some credibility by getting involved with Assange. (Via Twitter / @AdrianChen)

“The information ecosystem would be healthier without Julian Assange’s spectacle sucking up all the oxygen…” (Via Gawker)

Snowden’s passport was reportedly revoked by the U.S. last week. Assange says Snowden is now traveling using a special document from Ecuador.

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