Skip to main content
Skip to content
1 duplicate copy in the archive
Case File
d-30068House OversightOther

Allegations of Government Defamation of Snowden and Historical NSA Defector Smears

The passage repeats known narratives about Snowden and past NSA defectors, cites public statements by John Kerry, and references a Lawfare Institute analysis that is already public. It offers no new c Claims the U.S. government spread false rumors to defame Snowden, similar to past defamation of NSA Quotes former Secretary of State John Kerry calling Snowden a coward. Cites a 2014 Lawfare Institu

Date
November 11, 2025
Source
House Oversight
Reference
House Oversight #019603
Pages
1
Persons
1
Integrity
No Hash Available

Summary

The passage repeats known narratives about Snowden and past NSA defectors, cites public statements by John Kerry, and references a Lawfare Institute analysis that is already public. It offers no new c Claims the U.S. government spread false rumors to defame Snowden, similar to past defamation of NSA Quotes former Secretary of State John Kerry calling Snowden a coward. Cites a 2014 Lawfare Institu

Tags

lawfare-instituteintelligence-disclosure-analysintelligence-leaksdefamationgovernment-propagandajohn-kerrypolitical-smearhouse-oversightnsasnowden

Ask AI About This Document

0Share
PostReddit
Review This Document

Extracted Text (OCR)

EFTA Disclosure
Text extracted via OCR from the original document. May contain errors from the scanning process.
The Great Divide | 115 from Moscow, “They [Greenwald and Poitras] actually recorded me on camera saying this before I revealed my identity.” The purpose of this demonization was to divert attention from the government's own crimes. To be sure, it is not unprecedented for the government to release defamatory information about individuals who have embarrassed USS. intelligence by defecting. When two NSA analysts, William Martin and Bernon Mitchell, defected to Russia in the 1960s and accused the NSA of violating international law after arriving in Moscow, U.S. government officials responded by putting out the story that they were homosexual lovers, which was both untrue and irrelevant to the intelligence secrets that they had compromised. It is certainly possible that the government put out information to intentionally defame Snowden. Secretary of State John Kerry char- acterized him as a coward who should “man up” by returning to the United States. While one can discount such characterizations against Snowden by government officials as demonization, as I do, one cannot as eas- © ily dismiss the independent evidence that undermines Snowden’s © assertion that his sole motive was blowing the whistle on illicit sur- veillance in the United States. For example, in 2014, the Lawfare Institute, a nonprofit organization that publishes a blog on national security concerns, in cooperation with the Brookings Institution, did an independent analysis of all the published documents that Snowden provided to the media. It concluded that with some notable exceptions, such as the two documents initially published by The Guardian and the Post, the now-famous FISA Verizon warrant and the PRISM slides, few of the other documents that Snowden had given Poitras and Greenwald for publication had anything to do with either domestic surveillance or infringements on the privacy of Americans. By the Lawfare Institute’s count, 32 of Snowden’s leaks to these journalists concerned the NSA’s overseas sources and meth- ods, 9 identified overseas locations of the NSA’s intelligence bases, 25 revealed the identities of foreign officials of interest to U.S. intel- ligence agencies, 14 disclosed information about Internet companies legally cooperating with the NSA, and 19 concerned technology products that the NSA had been using or researching. | | Epst_9780451494566_2p_all_r1.z.indd 115 ® 9/29/16 5:51PM | |

Related Documents (6)

House OversightNov 16, 2015

Draft Document Titled “The Snowden Affair: A Spy Story in Six Parts”

Draft Document Titled “The Snowden Affair: A Spy Story in Six Parts” The passage only provides a title and metadata for a 287‑page draft about the Snowden affair. It contains no specific names, dates, transactions, or allegations that could be pursued as an investigative lead. Consequently, it offers no actionable information and is likely already covered in public discourse. Key insights: Document appears to be a draft manuscript by Edward Jay Epstein.; Length indicated as 287 pages, suggesting extensive coverage.; Associated with a House Oversight file identifier (HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_020153).

1p
House OversightUnknown

Sparse House Oversight Document Lacks Substantive Content

Sparse House Oversight Document Lacks Substantive Content The document contains only a header and no substantive information linking any influential actors, financial flows, or misconduct. It provides no actionable leads for investigation. Key insights: Document appears to be a placeholder or file identifier only; No names, dates, transactions, or allegations present

1p
House OversightUnknown

Document cites Snowden interviews and Petraeus misdemeanor deal without new actionable details

Document cites Snowden interviews and Petraeus misdemeanor deal without new actionable details The passage mainly recaps publicly known interviews, media references, and the already reported Petraeus misdemeanor plea. It offers no concrete new leads, transactions, dates, or relationships that warrant further investigation. Key insights: References Snowden's 2014 Moscow interview with James Bamford.; Cites various media sources summarizing Snowden's statements and public perception.; Mentions former CIA Director David Petraeus's 2014 misdemeanor plea for leaking classified notes to his mistress.

1p
House OversightUnknown

Empty House Oversight Document Lacks Substantive Content

Empty House Oversight Document Lacks Substantive Content The provided file contains only a title and no substantive text, offering no names, transactions, dates, or allegations to pursue. Consequently, it provides no investigative leads, controversy, novelty, or power linkages. Key insights: Document contains only a header and filename.; No mention of individuals, agencies, or actions.

1p
House OversightUnknown

Allegations of Government Defamation of Snowden and Historical NSA Defector Smears

Allegations of Government Defamation of Snowden and Historical NSA Defector Smears The passage repeats known narratives about Snowden and past NSA defectors, cites public statements by John Kerry, and references a Lawfare Institute analysis that is already public. It offers no new concrete evidence, transactions, or actionable leads, but does link high‑profile officials (Kerry) to alleged smear tactics, giving modest investigative relevance. Key insights: Claims the U.S. government spread false rumors to defame Snowden, similar to past defamation of NSA defectors in the 1960s.; Quotes former Secretary of State John Kerry calling Snowden a coward.; Cites a 2014 Lawfare Institute analysis of Snowden's leaks, breaking down the content categories of the documents.

1p
DOJ Data Set 9OtherUnknown

From: Office of Terje Rod-Larsen ‹

18p

Forum Discussions

This document was digitized, indexed, and cross-referenced with 1,500+ persons in the Epstein files. 100% free, ad-free, and independent.

Support This ProjectSupported by 1,550+ people worldwide
Annotations powered by Hypothesis. Select any text on this page to annotate or highlight it.