Vanity Fair is publishing an interview with Edward Snowden in which he refutes statements made by the NSA about him.
Snowden challenges allegations that he never filed a formal complaint about the N.S.A. to internal oversight and compliance bodies: N.S.A. deputy director Rick Ledgett, who led the internal investigation of Snowden, claimed Snowden made no formal complaints. And if he complained personally to anyone, Ledgett tells Vanity Fair, he or she has not acknowledged it.
In response to this claim, Snowden replies, “The N.S.A. at this point not only knows I raised complaints, but that there is evidence that I made my concerns known to the N.S.A.’s lawyers, because I did some of it through e-mail. I directly challenge the N.S.A. to deny that I contacted N.S.A. oversight and compliance bodies directly via e-mail and that I specifically expressed concerns about their suspect interpretation of the law, and I welcome members of Congress to request a written answer to this question [from the N.S.A.].”
When asked about his initial reaction to the revelation that Snowden was the leak, Ledgett tells Vanity Fair there was a personal sense of betrayal, stating, “It was like getting kicked in the stomach.”
This posting is a teaser for the full interview which will be out tomorrow and will be available only to paid subscribers. That is of course until it is spread all over the net.
There are several teaser points available in this post, but the claim that he made efforts to bring the issues to NSA's attention and NSA's denial are by far the most interesting.