On the eve of his memoir 'Permanent Record' being published, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden talked at length from Moscow with MSNBC's Brian Williams in an exclusive interview. This is their discussion in its entirety, edited down slightly for clarity.
Aired on 9/17/2019.
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Full Interview: Edward Snowden On Trump, Privacy, And Threats To Democracy | The 11th Hour | MSNBC
Brian, Big Brother is never one’s friend.
Everyone should Read 1984 by Orwell, then you would not every want a phone.
Orwell never considered the public would run out and purchase the surveillance systems.
I thank him, we needed to know what he saw.
Whistle blowers are heros of the people.
Gov just doesn’t want their secrets out.
@Wilbur Jenkins “A few dubious things”? You mean mass warrantless domestic surveillance in violation of the 4th amendment of our constitution?
It seems half these comments came to watch this video in bad faith. I hate saying it but Madison was right.
Snowden absolutely did not stop any surveillance done outside the U.S. To save face, Obama had minor changes made to foreign surveillance activities, but those changes were just window dressing. What Snowden stopped was the government’s Illegal and unconstitutional surveillance activities within the U.S. and for that he has my respect. In this country, the government is supposed to serve the people; the people don’t serve the government.
You are confusing Snowden with Chelsea Manning. Did you even watch the video? Snowden explains how he handled the documents he took and how he controlled their publication and he explains why he did what he did, which was to expose the government’s illegal and unconstitutional surveillance of U.S. citizens. That is the textbook definition of a whistleblower. Of course a whistleblower takes documents in order to prove the claims they make when they blow the whistle. If he was a criminal, he would have just made everything he had public. But that is not nearly what he did. Either watch the video or pay better attention if you did watch it because he clearly describes how he controlled which documents were released. He took a lot of documents, not to distribute them, but as insurance against a CIA hit. A real time documentary was made in the few days after he took the documents and met the person who made the documentary and some of the reporters who he gave some of the documents to (and who wrote the news stories) in Hong Kong. In the documentary he explains that he gave copies of the documents to several friends he trusts living in various parts of the world, with nobody holding copies of all of the documents. If a lightning bolt were to hit him or he hangs himself or he slips on a banana peel and dies (he dies from a hit), his friends will make all the documents public and he told the government of this plan in a phone call with them in the days after he fled the country. He ended up in Russia because he took a flight out of Hong Kong to Equador with a planr change in Moscow (I believe). Ecuador had agreed to give him asylum. When he tried to change planes in Russia, he discovered that the U.S. had cancelled his passport, so he was stuck in Russia. Russia agreed not to touch him as long as he was in the airport, but he believed the Russian government would arrest him if he left the airport. So, he lived in the airport for 40 days calling countries and asking for asylum. Finally, after 40!days in the airport, Putin agreed to give him asylum in Russia. He didn’t give any of the documents he took because he didn’t take any of the documents with him when he left Hong Kong. Anyway, thx documentary is very interesting because it was filmed in Hong Kong started the day after he took the documents and fled the U.S. l
I have to wonder if, during a debate, any of The Democratic Candidates, for 2020, would raise their hands if asked, “Who, among you, would PARDON Edward Snowden if he returned to The U.S.?”
He has my parden
@melanie melanie and they also see the lies of the Repukikkkan party, Trump supporters, and TRUMP himself.
They all lie. Campaign promises are made for breaking.
I believe Andrew Yang would be the only one to pardon him. I wouldn’t even trust Bernie has he’s flipped on many of his past stances. Andrew Yang among the candidate is the only tech savy candidate understanding of tech industries today who believes that our data should be a property right in which he wants to implement the Freedom Dividend on.
Obama is definitely not a Progressive.
meanwhile trump blurts out classified intelligence on twitter like its his job
@Seth Aelzan so your saying that you know for sure what TRUMP thinks wow
@M X ok you go arrest him and put him in gitmo
feelings nothing more than feelings lol
Wrong.
Thank you for a great interview
He is very transparent in this interview tbh. Somebody who has to look back twice over his shoulder he is very open about any question he is being asked.
In this interview he shows more patriotism, loyalty to the US, mind and sense than all the REPs and their chosen one in the last years all in all.
Edward Snowden is a man to admire and follow. Congratulations on your marriage, Edward Snowden! Great that you and your wife have been together for so many years. Beautiful. Peace, joy and love to your wife and you and to your parents. I am so glad that they have always stood by you and know that you did the right thing.
Yup
The sentiment is right but the words used, loyalty and patriotism, are proven by Trump and republicans not to be a quality but alliance to whatever – good or evil. Best say Snowden has shown integrity and honor – still – as exemplified by calling Putin government an authoritarian and human rights violator.
@Bobzter Yeah – Honor – I forgot Honor. I apologize.
Wow, sound it is a true patriotic position! When was this interview taken place?
The level of intellect Snowden is nothing short of astounding. It’s a shame he isn’t our NSA.
@Zarkow …on behalf of the evil CIA. No thanks.
@Q is legit. Don’t trust the media. you don’t know what you’re talking about bud
@Q is legit. Don’t trust the media. he was actively working to dismantle the national security advisor?
@J. Milton Jeffreys You don’t know what the NSA is? 🙄
How are we ended up in the world where Snowden is considered traitor and Trump – a patriot?
They are both *TRAITORS.*
Exactly!!
@Apple Thor Mighty Thunder consider this… If he didn’t flee he’d be dead and the story would end there. But with him alive there’s more that can be revealed.
@Apple Thor Mighty Thunder if you live in a country where telling the truth would get you arrested perhaps it’s best to abandon said country.
excellent interview. he should be commended, not condemned.
@Better Tester he was working IT support at an NSA collection site sweeping email for key word searches. They shut shop after he went public.
@SPZ Aruba IT support? I think it was a bit more than that mate… Also, if you are willing to pay any price to stop terrorists, then the terrorists have won… Relinquishing your freedoms, your privacy and your right to choose, only to stop a threat, leaves you less free than you were before you were scared of terrorists…
@SPZ Aruba Maybe they shut it down because meta data analysis is much more effective than key word searches? I am sure they didn’t shut it down without alternative means to achieve the same or better results. Why would they? Or did they illegally search US citizens emails?
@Better Tester So instead of improving the processes, they said oh shucks there is a better way of doing this and gave up in frustration? Honestly probably not the first time that would have happened in government work. I’ll give that theory a 1 in 4.
@Better Tester They were searching all email traffic entering and leaving the US. Hence the red face shock.
And this man is under investigation? America is afraid of the truth of its own government. I don’t trust the American Government, and I am Canadian.and I don’t trust the Canadian Government either
Snowden is a moron that would prefer to virtue signal to an oaf ‘journalist’ than recognize Trump experienced the IC working against his campaign. If Snowden ran for President they would have done the same drill with him. If he is so dumb he can’t see that he can stay in Russia forever. Free Assange, Snowden meh.
Unfortunate truth nowadays. Money talks, honesty walks, Climate rots.
Try being British at the moment! Our Government is a bunch of bratty 5 year olds!
And probably you don’t trust yourself either 🤣😂🤣
Always question authority. Don’t trust the government, U.S., Canadian, British… any of them. They don’t have our best interests in mind.
That was absolutely cool. Mr. Snowden is a hero of the utmost profundity.
Agreed. He presents as both articulate and principled. I might add while I don’t agree with what is going on with Assange, IMO his motivations where less selfless than Snowden’s.
Other than anti government extremists, teabaggers, and libertarians.
There doesn’t seem to be much interest in what this arrogant traitor has to say.
If he can’t deal with his metadata being collected. Then he must love being under constant surveillance in Russia. While he hides from justice in America.
@Richard Curren so does the ultimate Traitor Trump.
@Richard Curren baaaaaaaaaa
Richard Curran I recently purchased hacking software from the mentioned Israeli firm, please stop “liking” your own comments
The keepers of secrets, even unconstitutional ones, will do anything to discredit truth speakers and protect liars. I’ll buy his book to support him. Good interview.
bravo
The government is suing him and attempting to claim the money made from the book as he didnt send a copy to the government for clearence
He should break the mold and try to run as president of the United States. Is there precedence?
Edward Snowden is a very likeable individual, and he’s very cerebral. We can only wish him the very best of luck.
May God keep you safe 🙏🙏😇
His supervisor was a woman who felt Snowden personally betrayed her. He’s a punk and deserves his exile.
@zrex808 CORRECT !!!
A real American hero. He stood up to power instead of falling in line like a zombie. We have to hold the country accountable when necessary.
More like the greatest Russian asset of the 21th century. He leaked millions of documents to wikileaks, that no doubt went right into the hands of Russia. And they selectively released a few things to make the US look bad. Does that justify the millions of other classified documents he just gave away?
Support the right to bear atms. That is why it’s there. Regatdless of the prpblems it cauaes. Freedom is most important.
As a senior software engineer with a background in cyber security, I have to say that this man is my personal hero for exposing the criminality on behalf of a false sense of security. I have to tip my hat to such a man that has sacrificed everything in the name of whistleblowing. What would you do if this were you? Could you honestly walk away and risk your life, freedom, family, friends and your country in the name of doing what is right? Could you really do what this man did?
He burned an OP, he didn’t understand, that was successfully stopping money to terrorists. What happens when the OP stopping funds to terrorists goes away?
I have so much admiration for the man…He is my hero!
@SPZ Aruba The terrorists are the people who REALLY pulled off 9-11.
@SPZ Aruba Jeez did you spend the entirety of the interview copy pasting the same tired argument on every thread or did you actually listen?
Don’t bother responding, trolls get 86s.
@Jon Burke yeah he did.. on almost every post lol
I hope Snowden knows we appreciate his courage to reveal some scary truths at his own expense. And that someday his life can continue in the United States with his family.
we should switch Edward w the Donald. Donald can go to Russia permanently.
GlobalMan I second that idea!
I am sure he is planning a getaway to Russia.
I believe The Donald has always planned to escape to Russia!!!! That’s the reason for trump and Putin’s secret meeting’s, trump may be surprised if or when Putin rejects trump’s way out of the USA, Kim doesn’t want him… Just a thought!!!!!
It was a total pleasure listening to him. Just imagine Trump talking about the same topics for 54 minutes.
He would not do this type of interview, he only does prewriten and well orchestrated interviews now with his fox pundits..
Want to throw my phone.
Stan Lem Everything would relate to him because he is the Chosen One ☝️, so he says.
Truth is always better, even when you don’t want to hear it.
I think everyone, on some level, knows the corruption. We just don’t know how deep the rabbit hole goes.
Aunty Mammalia : follow the money all since kings decided WE must pertisipate .
for instance . bonds started as a way for warfare in the city-states of Florence against Venice trade routes. raw materials before Italy even became a country.
also in or about 1460 -1478 the Catholic pope at the time divided the world in half. Spain received half /Portugal received half of the world by what is called an ecumenical Canon , a decree by the Holy Roman Empire. Think of that .
Aunty, have you told that to the serial liar with the bad comb over?
@Bryan Broome And trump is showing you he is a traitor and a crook right in front your eyes !!!!
Now you think about that !!!