National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden said his
"mission's already accomplished" after revealing NSA secrets that
have caused a reassessment of US surveillance policies
Snowden told The Washington Post in an interview published
online Monday night that he was satisfied because journalists have been able to
tell the story of the government's collection of bulk Internet and phone
records, an activity that has grown dramatically in the decade since the Sept.
11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
"For me, in terms of personal satisfaction, the
mission's already accomplished," he said. "I already won."
"As soon as the journalists were able to work,
everything that I had been trying to do was validated," Snowden told the
Post. "Because, remember, I didn't want to change society. I wanted to
give society a chance to determine if it should change itself."
President Barack Obama hinted Friday that he would consider
some changes to NSA's bulk collection of Americans' phone records to address
the public's concerns about privacy.
His comments came in a week in which a
federal judge declared the NSA's collection program probably was
unconstitutional. A presidential advisory panel has suggested 46 changes to NSA
operations.
Snowden was interviewed in Moscow over two days by Post
reporter Barton Gellman, who has received numerous leaks from the former NSA
contractor. The interview was conducted six months after Snowden's revelations
first appeared in the Post and Britain's Guardian newspaper.
Gellman described Snowden as relaxed and animated over two
days of nearly unbroken conversation, fueled by burgers, pasta, ice cream and
Russian pastry.
In June, the Justice Department unsealed a criminal
complaint charging Snowden with espionage and felony theft of government
property. Russia granted him temporary asylum five months ago.
The effects of Snowden's revelations have been evident in
the courts, Congress, Silicon Valley and capitals around the world, where even
US allies have reacted angrily to reports of US monitoring of their leaders'
cellphone calls.
Brazil and members of the European Union are considering ways
to better protect their data and US technology companies such as Google,
Microsoft and Yahoo are looking at ways to block the collection of data by the
government.
Snowden, now 30, said he is not being disloyal to the US or
to his former employer.
"I am not trying to bring down the NSA, I am working to
improve the NSA," he said. "I am still working for the NSA right now.
They are the only ones who don't realize it."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for
comment about the Snowden interview.
Asked about the Snowden interview, White House spokeswoman
Caitlin Hayden said: "Mr. Snowden faces felony charges here in the United
States and should be returned to the US as soon as possible, where he will be
afforded due process and all the protections of our criminal justice
system."
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