Edward Snowden: I Didn't Give Secrets to China or Russia

[morningfog]

Edward Snowden said during a recent interview he did not give any secret information to China or Russia while in either of those two countries.

"I never gave any information to either government, and they never took anything from my laptops," he told The Guardian's Glenn Greenwald in a new interview published Wednesday.

In the last few weeks, speculation has circulated that the National Security Agency whistleblower collaborated with Chinese and Russian intelligence agents. The New York Times mentioned two "Western intelligence experts" who claimed China was able to drain Snowden's laptops and obtain their contents.

Snowden denied those claims in his interviews with Greenwald.

Snowden, who leaked top secret documents to The Guardian and The Washington Post and exposed a series of surveillance programs, is presumably still in the transit area of Moscow's Sheremyetevo airport.

http://mashable.com/2013/07/10/snowden-china-russia/

[pnwmom]

1. How does he know what they did when he was asleep? n/t

[grasswire]

2. I hate to indulge this level of paranoia...

....but it surely is possible that his traveling companion from wikileaks kept an eye out for the boogeyman.

[pnwmom]

4. And it is just as possible that Snowden is lying.

Maybe even to himself, since he doesn't seem to understand that sharing documents with a Chinese newspaper is tantamount to sharing it with the Chinese government.

If the traveling companion had to watch him while he slept -- which is a laughable idea -- then she wouldn't have been much of a "companion" while he was awake.

I think it is much more likely Snowden just trusted that no one was entering his hotel room and quietly copying the contents of his computers while he slept. Why would he worry about protecting them since he's planning to leak them anyway?

[arely staircase]

18. or the most naive mofo to walk the earth

and I am willing to believe it is naivete given the fact he seemed to be genuinely shocked that his passport got revoked after he started his worldwide espionage tour.

[sabrina 1]

33. And it's just as possible that this baseless charge, like all the other nonsensical attempts to

smear him rather than address the issues he raises, was paid for propaganda invented by one of the Private Security Corporations who get billions of our tax dollars to do that kind of thing.

We've been lied to so much that at this point, Snowden's credibility, or anyone's for that matter considering who is supporting the Surveillance State, is way better than our Corporate Media's or internet smear campaigns.

When they produce a shred of evidence to back up any of these wild charges, people might stop yawning after each new one begins to circulate.

I keep wondering too, who got the contract to smear Greenwald after HB Gary was exposed and to lie low for a while? It's clear someone did, same MO re the smears and attacks, it would be ironic if another Private Security Contractor stole HB Gary's 'work' after it was revealed by Anonymous.

[pnwmom]

38. Why is it a "wild charge" to think it is likely that

the Chinese and Russians were able to able to copy the drives on his computers while he was sleeping or otherwise engaged?

Do you honestly think China and Russia don't have interest in the contents of those computers or agents capable of doing such a thing?

[sabrina 1]

44. That was not the charge, the charge was the he had met with the Chinese Government and

revealed secrets to them. And a whole lot of people now believe that considering that wild charge made it our propaganda machine, the Corporate media.

You have proposed a different scenario now, and it's possible, anything is possible, but why bother since he planned to release everything on his computer anyhow. And he no doubt knows how to encrypt his data as he did when having conversations he wanted to remain private.

But you are speculating, there is no proof of any of these speculations and he has denied them. So that is where we are, who to believe? Peter King, Fleischer, Cheney or Snowden?

[morningfog]

6. Maybe he slept on a bed of laptops and a pillow of thumb drives.

[pnwmom]

11. I think he slept on a bed of idealism and a pillow of naiveté. n/t

[morningfog]

13. That idealism and naivete is sure causing the Obama Administration a shit ton of grief

and embarrassment.

[MADem]

35. Or when that Chinese politician gave him a "birthday dinner?"

He can't be that stupid...or can he?

[pnwmom]

39. I think he is extremely naive, at the least.

Book smart but no common sense.

[MADem]

42. Either that, or he's just not telling the truth.

If he received advance (or even after-the-fact) consideration from either Russia or China for this stunt, then we know what he is. If he pre-planned this with Assange (and what is up with Assange stealing Eddie's thunder all the time?) then he's got trouble on a different level.

I would like to know who is paying the three hundred bucks a night for his room, plus the obscene costs of room service? If he's not at the Novotel, he's being treated in a "special" manner. "Special" can be good or bad, depending upon one's perspective, but no one ever gets something for nothing.

[cantbeserious]

3. The Character Assassins Will Surely Spin This As Untrue

eom

[morningfog]

7. They are already at it.

[VanillaRhapsody]

22. Why are we expected to just believe him?

Why are we expected to believe that the Chinese govt gave him a pass? Oh no.....the Chinese govt or Putin would NEVER do that right?

[renie408]

48. How well do you know Edward Snowden?

What guide are you using to assess his character? How are you determining that he is telling the truth?

[BeyondGeography]

5. Whatever...He disclosed secrets publicly

http://news.yahoo.com/snowden-says-us-targets-included-china-cell-phones-073119007.html

[Robb]

8. Well if he says so that's good enough for me.

[Cali_Democrat]

9. +1

[morningfog]

12. When the charge was going around that he passed all his info on to the Chinese and Russians,

I asked for any evidence of it happening. I never was given any. Here, however self-serving and unreliable as it it, is at least a quoted claim that he did not.

[VanillaRhapsody]

23. Doesn't matter if he gave them ALL or not

the fact that he gave them some....which means no one has any idea WHAT he gave them....it would never hold up in court.

[morningfog]

28. Court schmort. If he is ever hauled into court, he goes away for life. None of this will

actually matter. The point is, he claims he still has control of the info that has not been made public yet. And there is more. Hopefully, once he is safely in an asylum country, he will release the rest.

[VanillaRhapsody]

30. Just saying that....with his background

and leaving the country...is enough to convict him. He better keep his cards close to his vest!

[Bobbie Jo]

16. Exactly.

It's not like he has a history of lying or anything.

Oh wait.....

[ProSense]

10. Does he

"Edward Snowden: I Didn't Give Secrets to China or Russia"

...see a distinction between between the government and the press in China?

What are the chances that the Chinese press didn't turn the information over to the government?

Did he think about that or is he naive? Could that be the reason for his repeated denials?

<...>

Within hours of news breaking that the US had filed charges against Snowden, the South China Morning Post reported that the whistleblower had handed over a series of documents to the paper detailing how the US had targeted Chinese phone companies as part of a widespread attempt to get its hands on a mass of data.

Text messaging is the most popular form of communication in mainland China where more than 900bn SMS messages were exchanged in 2012.Snowden reportedly told the paper: "The NSA does all kinds of things like hack Chinese cellphone companies to steal all of your SMS data."

The paper said Snowden had also passed on information detailing NSA attacks on China's prestigious Tsinghua University, the hub of a major digital network from which data on millions of Chinese citizens could be harvested.

As Snowden made his latest disclosures, the US issued an extradition request to Hong Kong and piled pressure on the territory to respond swiftly. "If Hong Kong doesn't act soon, it will complicate our bilateral relations and raise questions about Hong Kong's commitment to the rule of law," a senior Obama administration official said.

- more -

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/22/edward-snowden-us-china

Snowden plans more leaks...will let foreign press decide if leaks endanger Americans
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023084875

[arely staircase]

15. how naive can one person be?

he gives the info to a chinese newspaper and he thinks he didn't give info to the chinese government. he spends several days and nights in china and russia, where they know he has top secret stuff on his laptops and he thinks he didn't give them access to them.

jeez looeeez

[VanillaRhapsody]

24. Yeah...right because the Chinese press is soooooo much more free than ours

BWHAHAHAHA!

[arely staircase]

27. Snowden gave secret intel to China

he needs to face the music.

[gholtron]

32. He made them promise that what I give you

Stays between you and me OK?

[VanillaRhapsody]

43. Ha...he made them Pinky swear!

[MADem]

37. Especially the SCMP--which is owned by a Malay tycoon who is in Beijing's pockets.

Minority shares held by Rupert Murdoch, FWIW, who sold his majority to the Malay tycoon...

[arely staircase]

14. He gave such info to a Chinese newspaper. nt

[morningfog]

20. This comment suggests he has much more in his possession which has not been released.

[arely staircase]

21. The russians sure have it all by now. nt

[morningfog]

26. Not according to Snowden.

[MADem]

40. There are no cute little video interviews of Snowden in Moscow.

For all anyone knows, he could be in a narrow, cold cell in the basement of the Lubyanka Building. If that's the case, he doesn't have control of his laptops or anything else.

[morningfog]

41. I guess anything is possible.

[arely staircase]

47. I'm gussing that just bringing the laptops into a sitution as tightly controled by Russian security

forces as Mr. Snowden is surely in gives them access.

[uponit7771]

17. In Snowden Hero worship world gov of China and Russia != the government controlled press....

[morningfog]

19. I have no idea who lives in a Snowden hero worship world,

but I think you raise a good point. Snowden has much more information in his possession that what he has given to the press so far.

[VanillaRhapsody]

25. and you know this how?

He better say that.....its all he has to bargain with at this point.

[morningfog]

29. Bargain with who?

Plans are in motion for his asylum. He'll release more then, I am sure.

[VanillaRhapsody]

31. More? He hasn't released anything yet...

but somehow...YOU and others just "trust" that he will.....eventually...I guess. Anarchists and Nihilists are about to reach orgasm I guess.

Says alot doesn't it?

[Skraxx]

34. Whew! Glad That's Settled! Thanks For Clearing That Up Ed!

[KharmaTrain]

36. So It's Settled...

...if he didn't give away any secrets to foreign countries, he should be able to return to the U.S. and take on those who are accusing him of espionage. It's kinda hard to make charges of giving secrets away if he didn't give them away...and can prove it, of course. Piece of cake, no? With all the attention he's gotten he'll be able to expose what he encountered with the NSA, Booz-Allen and be a true whistleblower. He sure can't do any good from thousands of miles away. I'm all for shedding as much sunlight on this whole issue as possible...the only way that happens is if Snowden returns and uses his trial to blow the lid off of any illegal spying...it'll be the government's burden to prove what he stole and how it's harmed the country...

[msongs]

45. feel free to make stuff up with no proof nt

[Cha]

46. Snowden's a liar.. next?