Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden — who now claims he actually worked as a spy for the NSA and CIA — said President Obama’s election gave him hope that America’s surveillance activities would stop. But now he’s not so sure, he said.
“Whether or not I voted for President Obama, I was inspired by him,” Mr. Snowden said during an interview with “NBC Nightly News” with Brian Williams that aired Wednesday night. “He gave me courage. He gave me hope. I really believed that he would be a positive force for the country, and I still hope he will be.”
But doubt is starting to enter the equation. Mr. Obama has simply rubber stamped many of the same surveillance operations that were started under the previous administration — and in many cases, bolstered them, Mr. Snowden said, NBC News reported.
“He’s embraced the policies, and he’s extended the policies,” Mr. Snowden said. “He’s not Bush. He’s his own president. But the consonance in the policies should be concerning for a lot of Americans because he was a candidate that promised that he would give the public back its seat at the table of government.”
And so far, Mr. Obama’s not fulfilled that promise, Mr. Snowden said.
“He still has time to do so,” he added.
Mr. Snowden met with Mr. Williams for the interview at a hotel in Moscow.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.