Md. Dad Of NSA Leaker's Girlfriend 'Shocked' By News
LAUREL, Md. (WJZ) -- A full scale manhunt for Edward Snowden is on. The Maryland native is in hiding somewhere in Hong Kong, after leaking details about NSA spying programs.
Now, Mary Bubala reports, we are hearing from the family of his Maryland girlfriend.
Edward Snowden has not been seen since he checked out of a Hong Kong hotel on Monday. The former NSA contractor from Maryland told the Guardian Newspaper he went there after leaking details about two government surveillance programs.
Family members say Snowden left his girlfriend, Lindsay Mills, behind. The 28-year-old from Laurel is a 2007 MICA graduate and recently posted online:
"As I type this on my tear-streaked keyboard I'm reflecting on all the faces that have graced my path...the ones I never got to bid adieu."
Mills' father say the couple dated for more than four years.
"He's always had strong convictions of right and wrong. It kind of makes sense, but still shocking," he said.
Members of Congress, including Maryland Senator Dutch Ruppersberger, say Snowden must be brought to justice.
"If you break the law, you must be held accountable," Ruppersberger said.
The director of the NSA, General Keith Alexander, testifies before a Senate committee Wednesday.
I want the American people to know that we're trying to be transparent here, protect civil liberties and privacy, but also the security of this country," said Gen. Alexander.
But the ACLU disagrees and is suing the government to stop the spying programs.
"Every time an American makes a phone call now, the government is tracking the calls," said Alex Abdo, ACLU National Security Project. "They are tracking who we call, when we call, how long we talk. And that's the program that we're challenging."
The ACLU says it is a customer of Verizon Business. That's one of the companies forced to secretly turn over its call records to the government.
