In a new interview with Guardian reporter Glenn Greenwald and filmmaker Laura Poitras published Monday, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden spoke candidly about the attacks he expects to face from the federal government as it seeks to prosecute him.
"I think the government's going to launch an investigation. I think they're going to say I've committed grave crimes, I've violated the Espionage Act. They're gonna say I've aided our enemies in making them aware of these systems," Snowden said. "But that argument can be made against anybody who reveals information that points out mass surveillance systems, because fundamentally they apply equally to ourselves as they do to our enemies."
The U.S. government charged Snowden with espionage last month, following his leaking of key documents that uncovered massive data surveillance programs run by the National Security Agency. Numerous U.S. officials and lawmakers have maintained that Snowden's actions have made the nation less safe, and have vowed to seek his prosecution.
Snowden currently remains at an airport in Moscow, where he's been stuck in limbo after flying there from Hong Kong last month. He was recently offered asylum by a trio of Latin American nations and has made requests to at least 26 countries. U.S. authorities have applied pressure on these nations, asking them to aid in the attempt to arrest the "fugitive" Snowden.
Click over to the Guardian for the entire segment of the video excerpted above. Part one of the interview can be found here.
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