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We Now Know A Lot More About Edward Snowden's Epic Heist — And It's Troubling
Business Insider ^ | 08/18/2014 | Michael B. Kelly

Posted on 08/18/2014 12:52:38 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

Edward Snowden's in-depth interview with James Bamford of Wired offers details about his last job as a contractor for the NSA in Honolulu, which raise disconcerting questions about the motives of the former systems administrator.

While working at two consecutive jobs in Hawaii from March 2012 to May 2013, the 31-year-old allegedly stole about 200,000 "tier 1 and 2" documents, which mostly detailed the NSA's global surveillance apparatus and were given to American journalists Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras in June 2013. The government believes Snowden also took up to 1.5 million "tier 3" documents potentially detailing U.S. capabilities and NSA offensive cyber operations, the whereabouts of which are unknown.

We now know more about the larger and more sensitive cache of classified documents. Furthermore, a close reading of relevant reporting and of statements made by Snowden suggests that much of what the rogue NSA employee intentionally took involved operational information unrelated to civil liberties.

While the tier 3 material appears to have not been shared with American journalists, some of it was shown to a Chinese newspaper. And 14 months later, given the uncertain fate of the documents, it is not unreasonable to ask whether they could have fallen into the hands of an adversarial foreign intelligence service.

(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: edwardsnowden; nsa
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To: Gadsden1st
CIA dude

Hah! Which "CIA dude"?

21 posted on 08/18/2014 1:59:37 PM PDT by wideawake
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To: SeekAndFind

22 posted on 08/18/2014 2:00:59 PM PDT by jaz.357 (Contrary To Ordinary)
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To: Jeff F
Snowden is a snake and a traitor.

He fled to China and then Russia - acting as a direct courier of US secrets to our adversaries.

23 posted on 08/18/2014 2:01:35 PM PDT by wideawake
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To: VRWCarea51

Only illegitimate governments lie to and keep secrets from it’s citizens.


24 posted on 08/18/2014 2:04:52 PM PDT by freedomfiter2 (Brutal acts of commission and yawning acts of omission both strengthen the hand of the devil.)
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To: ifinnegan

He stole the information from the greatest enemy the American citizens have.


25 posted on 08/18/2014 2:08:51 PM PDT by freedomfiter2 (Brutal acts of commission and yawning acts of omission both strengthen the hand of the devil.)
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To: freedomfiter2
Only illegitimate governments lie to and keep secrets from it’s citizens

A concept some even here on FR apparently can't grasp.

26 posted on 08/18/2014 2:11:53 PM PDT by dware (3 prohibited topics in mixed company: politics, religion and operating systems...)
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To: freedomfiter2

“He stole the information from the greatest enemy the American citizens have.”

This comment is pure New Left communist.


27 posted on 08/18/2014 2:12:18 PM PDT by ifinnegan
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To: OneWingedShark
IMO, the FedGov already has.

Agreed. My only question is, where are all those military/LEO types that are sposed to have taken an oath to protect the Constitution from enemies "foreign & domestic"? Thus far, it would seem they are perfectly ok with cashing that gubmint check and staying in line with their dear leaders wishes. So much for counting on them to have the backs of real Americans.

28 posted on 08/18/2014 2:15:31 PM PDT by dware (3 prohibited topics in mixed company: politics, religion and operating systems...)
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To: OneWingedShark

“those in power are disinclined to relinquish that power it would spark a civil war.”

And those subject thereto still find their lives comfortable enough to not spark that inferno & risk losing everything in the process of ejecting the former.


29 posted on 08/18/2014 2:16:12 PM PDT by ctdonath2 ("If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun" - Obama, setting RoE with his opposition)
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To: PghBaldy
He released the things about spying of Americans to get public support. He is a traitor in the end.

He certainly is a traitor, but then again he merely broke the law, while the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations completely ignored and subverted it to spy on innocent Americans.
30 posted on 08/18/2014 2:16:31 PM PDT by af_vet_rr
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To: wideawake

Man, I have been waiting for that! I don’t know his name. I was watching one of the c-span book reviews last night. He was talking about his book. Actually there were a couple of CIA dudes that had written books. He was from the clandestine side of the org. The other one was from the covert side. It was interesting to see the different takes each had about the other’s. Anyway, I guess anyone interested enough about his name and rank could research last night’s C-span programs.


31 posted on 08/18/2014 2:17:09 PM PDT by Gadsden1st
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To: ifinnegan
This comment is pure New Left communist.

I found the statement to be absolutely true. When did FR posters come to hate America enough to spread ignorance like this? Snowden is far from perfect, but he DID expose one of FedGov's biggest crimes against the American public. I'm sorry you see fit to make light of that.

32 posted on 08/18/2014 2:17:45 PM PDT by dware (3 prohibited topics in mixed company: politics, religion and operating systems...)
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To: ifinnegan
This comment is pure New Left communist.

This country can't be destroyed by terrorists, by Russians or Chinese. Sure, they can kill our citizens and harm our economy, but they can't destroy the Constitution.

If this country is to be destroyed, it will be by a government that is out of control, with the consent of both parties.

If you don't understand that the biggest threat to our freedom is a government ever growing in power, I don't know what to tell you.
33 posted on 08/18/2014 2:19:30 PM PDT by af_vet_rr
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To: freedomfiter2
Only illegitimate governments lie to and keep secrets from it’s citizens.

Can anyone name any government at any point in time that has not kept secrets? Certainly no government in existence today, nor any known form of government in the past including those here before, during, and after our revolution. Snowden keeps secrets, so does Julian Assange, so does Wikileaks, so does every company both public and private.

Do you disagree or is it your view that all government are illegitimate?

34 posted on 08/18/2014 2:27:14 PM PDT by Jeff F
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To: OneWingedShark
I don't think most people under age 40 or so had a clue as to how bad the spying on citizens is. They still wouldn't have a clue if it weren't for Snowden's disclosure.

And for this Snowden was declared a traitor by the President and hunted to the corners of the earth. I'm clueless how anyone can take the government's side. Snowden is a hero and a patriot.

35 posted on 08/18/2014 2:31:10 PM PDT by grania
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To: Jeff F

As the secrecy and false increases, the point is reached where the government no longer serves the citizens and instead enslaves them. At that point, the people’s own government becomes their greatest enemy.


36 posted on 08/18/2014 2:33:20 PM PDT by freedomfiter2 (Brutal acts of commission and yawning acts of omission both strengthen the hand of the devil.)
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To: grania
And for this Snowden was declared a traitor by the President and hunted to the corners of the earth. I'm clueless how anyone can take the government's side. Snowden is a hero and a patriot.

I hope you have or will read the article. The implication is that Snowden's design may have been to use the details released to his press contacts as a cover for his actual acts of espionage that involved a vastly greater trove of information that deeply damaging to national security. This information has noting to do with domestic spying and is only useful for America's enemies. If this is the case, then Snowden's supporters have been duped.

37 posted on 08/18/2014 2:40:17 PM PDT by Jeff F
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To: Jeff F

We haven’t been duped. Snowden did a lot of good waking people up. The other stuff? I’m sure countries know each other’s secrets with or without Snowden.


38 posted on 08/18/2014 2:44:43 PM PDT by grania
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To: freedomfiter2
...government no longer serves the citizens and instead enslaves them...

At this point there is no information that I have seen to point towards the political use of the NSA's domestic spying. It is certainly reasonable to think it could go that way. We have seen the politicization of the Justice Department, IRS, EPA, and many others. Certainly the FBI has been used repeatedly to spy for political purposes ever since it was founded. Still, at this point it appears that the NSA broadly collects, but has not yet weaponized domestic intelligence to be used against the county's citizens. At some point, it may well become irresistible for those in power to use the information against their political enemies.

39 posted on 08/18/2014 2:53:25 PM PDT by Jeff F
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To: Jeff F

At that point, it’s too late. We need to give up a little security if we want to keep the smidgen of freedom we have left.


40 posted on 08/18/2014 2:58:17 PM PDT by freedomfiter2 (Brutal acts of commission and yawning acts of omission both strengthen the hand of the devil.)
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