- The Washington Times - Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Security experts say National Security Agency information leaker Edward Snowden doesn’t know what he’s talking about when he claims that no one could force him to reveal what he knows. Not even a torture expert.

Mr. Snowden made the claim in a letter to a U.S. senator, published in The Guardian and by Business Insider: “No intelligence service — not even our own — has the capacity to compromise the secrets I continue to protect. While it has not been reported in the media, one of my specializations was to teach our people at DIA how to keep such information from being compromised even in the highest threat counter-intelligence environments (i.e., China). You may rest easy knowing I cannot be coerced into revealing that information, even under torture.”

National security and intelligence analyst Joshua Foust said on Business Insider that Mr. Snowden’s claims were odd, at best.

“That he also brags of being immune to torture (a laughable claim), while spouting delusions of assassination, just makes the whole affair terribly odd,” he said.

And this, from former Navy SEAL Brandon Webb, in the Business Insider report: “They have drugs and women. He’s very naive.”

Mr. Snowden fled the United States and has petitioned Russia for temporary asylum.

• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.

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