The latest steady trickle of national security leaks now has a public face. On Sunday, The Guardian revealed the identity of the man behind the release of the National Security Agency’s various data monitoring programs. The Guardian, which has been at the heart of the reports on the NSA, says that its source is 29-year-old Edward Snowden, a former technical assistant for the CIA and employee of defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton. Snowden has been working with the NSA for the past four years for companies such as Booz Allen and Dell. Booz Allen confirms that Snowden worked there less than three months and calls the reports “shocking.” The Director of National Intelligence James Clapper calls the leaks “literally gut-wrenching,” while some lawmakers are calling for investigations and prosecution. Snowden, for his part, tells The Guardian, “I am not afraid, because this is the choice I’ve made” and “I understand that I will be made to suffer for my actions,” but “I will be satisfied if the federation of secret law, unequal pardon and irresistible executive powers that rule the world that I love are revealed even for an instant.” But whether Washington or the public thinks Snowden is a so-called “leaker” or “whistleblower,” the information raises serious questions about how the government handles personal information and how secure that information is. For example, did you know the NSA is building the country’s largest spy facility in Utah? Author James Bamford, chronicler of that complex and other NSA factoids, joins us for a discussion on secrets, surveillance and civil liberties at noon ET on msnbc.
PANEL SEATED FROM LEFT TO RIGHT
Bob Herbert, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Demos (@bobherbert)
Maggie Haberman, Senior Political Reporter, Politico (@maggiepolitico)
Richard Wolffe, Executive Editor, msnbc.com/msnbc Political Analyst (@richardwolffedc)
Josh Barro, Politics Editor at Business Insider (@jbarro)
GUESTS Tim Pawlenty, Fmr. Governor Minnesota (R-MN), (@timpawlenty) James Bamford, Author, The Shadow Factory: The Ultra-Secret NSA From 9/11 to the Eavesdropping on America, (@WashAuthor)
Robert Gifford Recommended
