Lawmakers Say Edward Snowden Is No Whistleblower
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WASHINGTON (AP) - A House intelligence committee report is calling National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden a "serial exaggerator and fabricator" who doesn't fit the profile of a whistleblower.
Snowden's attorney denounces the committee's report.
Separately, all members of the committee sent a letter to President Barack Obama on Thursday urging him not to pardon Snowden. Republicans and Democrats sent the letter ahead of Friday's opening of director Oliver Stone's film "Snowden."
The letter to Obama says that Snowden's claim that he stole the classified information and disclosed it to protect Americans, privacy and civil liberties is undercut by his actions.
The committee seems to intentionally conflate my authorized government work with my unauthorized whistleblowing. Diminishes them.
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) September 15, 2016
The lawmakers say that rather than availing himself of lawful avenues to express legal, moral, or ethical qualms with U.S. intelligence activities, he stole 1.5 million classified documents from NSA networks.
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