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Officials: How Edward Snowden Could Hurt the U.S.
ABC News ^ | June 24, 2013

Posted on 06/24/2013 4:08:31 PM PDT by NCjim

As the U.S. intelligence community struggles to complete a damage assessment over the secret information allegedly stolen by NSA leaker Edward Snowden, sources told ABC News there is a growing consensus within the top circles of the U.S. government that the 30-year-old contractor could deal a potentially devastating blow to U.S. national security.

...

Before he fled Hawaii for Hong Kong in late May, Snowden allegedly downloaded significant amounts of information about some of the country’s most sensitive secrets — specifically how the U.S. government does surveillance abroad. One source told ABC NEWS that as an information specialist with security clearance “he understood the framework of how the whole U.S. surveillance network works.”

...

Beyond technical systems, U.S. officials are deeply concerned that Snowden used his sensitive position to read about U.S. human assets, for example spies and informants overseas as well as safe houses and key spying centers.

...

They worry this recent quote from Snowden was not an exaggeration: ” I had access to the full rosters of everyone working at the NSA, the entire intelligence community, and undercover assets all over the world. The locations of every station, we have what their missions are, and so forth.”

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: benghazi; counterterrorism; fastandfurious; impeachnow; irs; snowden
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To: Usagi_yo
Thank you ABC for distracting us from the real issues and damage being done to the U.S vis-a-vis Obama/DOJ/NSA/IRS. They’ll play this story until the cows come home as long as they can avoid covering the real crimes.

More groups than 'just the IRS' get their marching orders from Obama's team...

21 posted on 06/24/2013 4:29:54 PM PDT by GOPJ (... liberal anger - - the privileged wheeze of entitled brats ... Greenfield)
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To: NCjim
Mr Snowdon so far has hurt Obama much more than the USA.

So consider the source:



22 posted on 06/24/2013 4:30:59 PM PDT by Diogenesis
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To: NCjim

That’s odd. When this story broke I heard Difi and any number of talking heads downplaying it, saying Snowden wasn’t really saying anything that wasn’t already out there and that everybody already knew about.


23 posted on 06/24/2013 4:32:00 PM PDT by Joe 6-pack (Qui me amat, amat et canem meum.)
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To: NCjim

Snowden hasn’t hurt the US, Obama and W have though.


24 posted on 06/24/2013 4:32:41 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
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To: BipolarBob

‘Zakly!


25 posted on 06/24/2013 4:33:19 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
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To: editor-surveyor

Definition of Irony:

The Obama administration calling out China and Russia as countries who stifle free speech and the press, spy on its citizens and intimidates its political adversaries by using government agencies.

And no one in the media has said we are no different than China and Russia. Seems pretty clear to me.


26 posted on 06/24/2013 4:39:57 PM PDT by EQAndyBuzz (The reason we own guns is to protect ourselves from those wanting to take our guns from us.)
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To: NCjim

Snowdon hurt us?

And Sotoro’s bunch HASN’T? And WORSE?

Get real.


27 posted on 06/24/2013 4:41:33 PM PDT by Flintlock ("The redcoats are coming" -- TO SEIZE OUR GUNS!!--Paul Revere)
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To: Signalman
Edward Snowden’s aim was to inform Americans what their government is doing to them. China and Russia already know this stuff; it's the time-honored Marxist way to control the populace.
28 posted on 06/24/2013 4:42:43 PM PDT by July4
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To: Signalman

The ruskies probably already know our government spies on us. heck i bet they already knew what Snowden knows....the ones that do NOT know are US citizens, that’s who the government is trying to hide from.

What’s the big deal anyway? ooooobamo was making promises to the Russians prior to his 2nd term.


29 posted on 06/24/2013 4:51:37 PM PDT by madison10
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To: madison10

I wonder how much of the media reports are manufactured garbage being spread by the administration or someone to confuse.

Snowden may be one of this country’s worst traitors of all time, or he may be one of our greatest patriots. I have no idea but I would bet the truth isn’t being reported by the MSM. This whole thing may have been a set-up to spread false information and Snowden could have been either a willing or unwilling partner.


30 posted on 06/24/2013 5:04:16 PM PDT by Oklahoma
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To: Oklahoma

I don’t think he’s a villain or a hero. I do think he’s being used as a distraction from the more serious issue of the NSA spying on us.

Its exactly the way Hugo Chavez kept his people distracted from his own disaster. He constantly ranted about the USA.


31 posted on 06/24/2013 5:10:15 PM PDT by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
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To: NCjim

This kind of thing has happened before. Some fifty-three years ago, the then 29-year-old William Martin and 31-year-old Bernon Mitchell decided the NSA was MUCH too intrusive, and they went public with their inner knowledge of the workings of that organization, once so secretive it was called “No Such Agency”.

We were again severely compromised in early 2001, in an incident over the South China Sea, when a US Navy plane was flying some routine patterns. The Navy plane was accosted by fighter pilots of the Peoples Liberation Army, and in a close encounter that got a little TOO close, one of the fighter pilots brushed against the nose of the P3 Orion, and crashed his jet into the sea. In the Hainan Island incident, the now crippled Orion craft turned and put the pedal to the metal, trying to escape back to the Phillipines. But with the broken nose, its airspeed was appreciably slowed, and soon other PLA fighter planes appeared, and they forced the pilot into one of two choices - fly into the sea, or turn back to Hainan Island, Chinese territory.

Ordinarily, this would not be a big deal. But the plane had a considerable amount of surveillance apparatus aboard, with all the codes and communications equipment. Working swiftly as they could, the crew managed to disable of destroy a good deal of the apparatus, but before they had satisfactorily completed the job, the plane was forced to the ground and boarded, the crew taken prisoner. The plane was retained by the Chinese authorities, and it probably yielded up a considerable amount of intelligence before it was eventually returned.

But that was not a conscious act of running to the enemy, so to speak. That was a capture, and while a setback, the crew had acted in good faith and tried to respond to the situation to the degree they were able.


32 posted on 06/24/2013 5:19:49 PM PDT by alloysteel (Unattended children will be given a Red Bull and a free Kazoo. Reminds me of Congress...)
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To: July4
Edward Snowden’s aim was to inform Americans what their government is doing to them.

Then why did he take (and give to the Guardian) a bunch of information about how the US and UK spy on foreign governments, material that has precisely nothing to do with spying on Americans?

33 posted on 06/24/2013 5:23:39 PM PDT by Strategerist
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To: Signalman

(Holster) sniffers & (boot) lickers such as yourself fail to understand that Snowden’s real “crime” is providing truckloads of TS information to the real enemies of fed.gov.


34 posted on 06/24/2013 5:24:21 PM PDT by semantic
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To: Sacajaweau

Personally, I think he was “allowed” to get this sensitive information by the “One”. Remember when Obama said just give me more time when talking to Russian President?

What if this all wasn’t allowed to happen- to give away our secrets...and then claim it was done by a particular person..someone labeled a traitor....who just happens to go to end up in Russia.

Sorry I am just not buying what they are trying to sell us....


35 posted on 06/24/2013 5:34:35 PM PDT by Engedi
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To: Sacajaweau

They worry this recent quote from Snowden was not an exaggeration: ” I had access to the full rosters of everyone working at the NSA, the entire intelligence community, and undercover assets all over the world. The locations of every station, we have what their missions are, and so forth.”
+++++++++++++
I don’t know who the “They” are but the idea that Snowden would have access of this sort is ridiculous. One of the main weapons that the Intelligence community uses to keep their secrets safe is by utilizing “compartmentalization”. What that means is that you physically isolate program personnel and data program by program. Very few people if any have “at their fingertips” access to all angency data.

And the inference that Snowden has the names of our spies is simply laughable. Does anyone believe that a list of them is available via Internet access?


36 posted on 06/24/2013 5:34:39 PM PDT by InterceptPoint (If I had a tag line this is where you would find it)
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To: InterceptPoint
And the inference that Snowden has the names of our spies is simply laughable. Does anyone believe that a list of them is available via Internet access?

Umm, you do understand the difference between the Internet, SIPRnet, and JWICS, right?

That said, Snowden is almost certainly exaggerating/lying, as he has about a variety of things. It's still very apparent that he has quite dangerous information and details on how we spy on other countries.

37 posted on 06/24/2013 5:38:15 PM PDT by Strategerist
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To: Strategerist

Umm, you do understand the difference between the Internet, SIPRnet, and JWICS, right?
++++++++++++
I was generalizing. Set down at your computer at Booz-Allen, login, password, access.

Get a list of U.S. spies, locations, missions.

I don’t think so.


38 posted on 06/24/2013 5:45:13 PM PDT by InterceptPoint (If I had a tag line this is where you would find it)
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To: schm0e

Edward Snowden: how officials could harm America.


39 posted on 06/24/2013 5:45:32 PM PDT by relictele (A place dedicated to economic, racial and social equality. It was called Jonestown.)
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To: InterceptPoint

Your asking to many questions. At some point the truth will be square in your lap. The US could care less about Snowden.


40 posted on 06/24/2013 5:47:01 PM PDT by eyedigress ((zOld storm chaser from the west)/ ?s)
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