US Government Claims Edward Snowden is a ‘Serial Exaggerator’

Three years ago, Edward Snowden started the largest and most damning public release of classified information in the history of US intelligence. A year after the massive leak of classified information perpetrated by Snowden, the US government launched a comprehensive review of the disclosures. Now, a few days before Christmas, the US House Intelligence Committee released declassified documents going into detail into the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden.

In the now declassified documents, the US House of Representatives released a review of Edward Snowden. The House Intelligence committee documents goes into detail surrounding the former NSA contractor. The House Intelligence Committee reveals that Snowden was able to retrieve more than 1.5 million classified documents from the NSA networks. In addition, the government report asserts Snowden’s release of classified information benefited America’s adversaries. In fact, according to the US government report, last June 2016 the deputy chairman of the Russian parliament’s defense and security committee revealed that “Snowden did share intelligence” with Russia.

Edward Snowden argued that his objective was to inform people. But, the 33 page document argues that the information he released became available to foreign government intelligence agencies. In addition to any terrorist “with Internet access”.

The declassified documents makes it clear that the government does not see Snowden as a whistleblower. The committee argues that public release of classified information does not make someone a whistleblower. Instead, a whistleblower releases classified information that shows a government agency engaged in illegal activity to the appropriate oversight committee and not to the general public.

From a “fiery e-mail argument” with a supervisor about how computer updates should be handled. To failing basic annual training for NSA employees, where Snowden complained “the training was rigged to be overly difficult”. The review paints a picture of Edward Snowden’s history weeks before he started downloading classified documents.

The declassified review goes on to call Snowden a “serial exaggerator and fabricator”. The House Intelligence committee argues that Snowden has a pattern of “intentional lying”. For example, the newly declassified report points out that Snowden “doctored his performance evaluations and obtained new positions at NSA by exaggerating his resumé and stealing the answers to an employment test.”

This newly declassified documents comes a day after the release of Facebook’s Global Government Requests report. In Facebook’s press release, US law enforcement agencies accounted for the largest number of data requests. In addition, the total number of government data requests increased by nearly 30%.