Edward Snowden Describes Himself As A 'Moderate'

Edward Snowden Describes Himself As A 'Moderate'

When it comes to politics, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden insists he's in the center.

In a wide-ranging interview with Vanity Fair published Tuesday, Snowden dismissed reports of his "right-wing politics," adding that he was amused by them.

“I’d describe my political thought as moderate," Snowden said.

Snowden also slammed members of Congress who have accused him of being a spy. Back in January, Reps. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) and Michael McCaul (R-Texas) were among those levying the claim.

Snowden told The New Yorker at the time that the charge was "absurd," and he elaborated on his discontent to Vanity Fair, accusing the lawmakers of acting for "political reasons."

“My hope was that avoiding ambiguity would prevent spy accusations and create more room for reasonable debate," Snowden said. "Unfortunately, a few of the less responsible members of Congress embraced the spy charges for political reasons, as they still do to this day. But I don’t think it was a bad idea, because even if they won’t say it in public, intelligence-community officials are regularly confirming to journalists off the record that they know with a certainty that I am not an agent of any foreign government.”

As Snowden defended his actions and approach, former President Bill Clinton weighed in on the NSA scandal Tuesday, calling the former government contractor an "imperfect messenger." According to CNN, Clinton laid out the complex situation that the NSA surveillance program poses, stressing that the U.S. must balance the importance of intelligence and privacy.

“We cannot change the character of our country or compromise the future of our people by creating a national security state, which takes away the liberty and privacy we propose to advance," Clinton said.

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Edward Snowden

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