Edward Snowden Says He was Trained as a Spy

May 29 2014

The conspiracy and controversy continues.

Brian Williams nabbed an exclusive interview with Edward Snowden for NBC News. Snowden is still wanted for leaking classified NSA data in June 2013, and is currently living in exile in Russia. Williams traveled to Moscow for the interview.  In advance of this highly-anticipated interview, NBC News has released a clip in which Snowden details his professional background. He has been alternately labeled everything from a “hacker” to a “low level analyst” in the media, but according to Snowden, the truth is a bit more complicated. He explained to Williams that he was “trained as a spy in sort of the traditional sense of the word.” He went on to explain that he lived and worked undercover under a false name in foreign countries. 

In response to the “low level analyst” claims, Snowden said the government is “trying to use one position that I’ve had in a career here or there to distract from the totality of my experience.” He then detailed his background, saying that he’d worked for the NSA and the CIA overseas, and worked for the DIA as a lecturer at the Joint Counterintelligence Training Academy.  Snowden did indicate that he worked primarily with computer systems, and not with people, but he said it was “somewhat misleading” to classify him as a “low level analyst.” 

Are you prepared?