Just a day prior to the release of the biopic on Edward Snowden, the United States House Intelligence Committee released a report calling the man a ‘traitor’, ‘liar’, and ‘disgruntled employee’.
A criminal in the eyes of the US establishment, Snowden is considered a hero by many for leaking secret US documents that showed how the US intelligence apparatus had been using unethical and illegal means to conduct surveillance on Americans, as well as foreigners.
Snowden fled the US to escape arrest and is currently living in the Russian Federation.
The House Intelligence Committee report was first ordered in August 2014 by US officials, more than a year after Snowden began releasing documents through selected journalists.
The report, submitted by the committee, is a four-page summary of the much larger 36-page document that officials say will stay classified as it contains many valuable details with regard to US intelligence operations. It paints Snowden as a traitor rather than a whistleblower.
It argues that the documents stolen by Snowden had nothing to do with individual privacy but they revealed a great deal about the Department of Defense’s military, intelligence and defense programs. The report also mentioned that the documents stolen by Snowden contained info that protected the lives of US troops on foreign soil.
Apart from that, the House Committee report also points out that Snowden should not be seen as a whistleblower as revealing classified government information doesn’t classify one for that category.
The officials also projected Snowden as a habitual liar and a disgruntled employee who used to have spats with his colleagues.