Snowden, NSA clash over released Email

Edward Snowden and the U.S security officials produced contradictory statements regarding an email exchanged between Snowden and the National Security Agency (NSA)’s Office of General Counsel on April 5, 2013. The email which was released on Thursday shows him questioning NSA’s mandatory legal training programs. But it provided no evidence about him raising any complaints about any particular NSA surveillance programs or law, reports say.

In an email to the Washington Post, Snowden said that the release by US officials “is incomplete.” Snowden said in an interview with NBC News on Wednesday that he had raised complaints not just officially through email to the offices and individuals but also to his supervisors and colleagues in more than one office. “Many, many of these individuals were shocked by these programs,” he said adding that he was advised to keep mum. “If you say something about this, they’re going to destroy you”, they had said, Snowden revealed.

The controversial documents were first released by the office of Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The email exchange appears to be the first internal communication by Snowden, while he was working for the NSA, to be released publicly.

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