The Director of National Intelligence James Clapper implies whistleblower Edward Snowden had "accomplices" during Senate testimony. January 29, 2014 2:18 PM PST Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testifies during a hearing before Senate (Select) Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 29, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. (Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images) As reports fueled by documents leaked to the press by whistleblower Edward Snowden continue to reveal the operations of government-sponsored electronic spying, the Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testified before the US Senate that Snowden had "accomplices." In a prepared opening statement (PDF) to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Clapper said, "Snowden claims that he's won and that his mission is accomplished. If that is so, I call on him and his accomplices to facilitate the return of the remaining stolen documents that have not yet been exposed to prevent even more damage to U.S. security." Clapper did not clarify who Snowden's "accomplices" are, and Snowden has never wavered thus far from his story that he was working alone. US security officials told Reuters earlier this month that they believe that Snowden was working alone. Related stories: NSA using 'leaky apps' like Angry Birds, Google Maps to siphon user data Snowden accuses NSA of conducting industrial espionage Snowden return to US hinges on amnesty, his legal adviser says BlackBerry may have some life left with Pentagon order Pew: Most young Americans support Snowden A request for comment by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence was not immediately returned. CNET will update when we hear back. However, a Clapper spokesperson told Mashable that Clapper was referring to "anyone who is assisting Edward Snowden further harm our nation through the unauthorized disclosure of stolen documents." When asked if that included journalists, the spokesperson declined to specify. It is possible that Clapper was referring to information that has not yet been released, although if that's the case then he's letting it be known to the public in a manner that makes it hard to verify. And as it has been noted by the Press Freedom Foundation, an organization dedicated to protecting public-interest journalism, "unauthorized disclosure" could be a euphemism for "publishing." Electronic Frontier Foundation senior staff attorney Kurt Opsahl said last summer, when Clapper defended his pre-Snowden statements about domestic spying before Congress as "least untruthful," that careful word choice is nothing new to Clapper's office. "The DNI has a history of playing games with wording, using terms with carefully obscured meanings to leave an impression different from the truth," Opsahl told CNET then.
The Director of National Intelligence James Clapper implies whistleblower Edward Snowden had "accomplices" during Senate testimony.
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testifies during a hearing before Senate (Select) Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 29, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
(Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
As reports fueled by documents leaked to the press by whistleblower Edward Snowden continue to reveal the operations of government-sponsored electronic spying, the Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testified before the US Senate that Snowden had "accomplices."
In a prepared opening statement (PDF) to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Clapper said, "Snowden claims that he's won and that his mission is accomplished. If that is so, I call on him and his accomplices to facilitate the return of the remaining stolen documents that have not yet been exposed to prevent even more damage to U.S. security."
Clapper did not clarify who Snowden's "accomplices" are, and Snowden has never wavered thus far from his story that he was working alone. US security officials told Reuters earlier this month that they believe that Snowden was working alone.
Related stories:
- NSA using 'leaky apps' like Angry Birds, Google Maps to siphon user data
- Snowden accuses NSA of conducting industrial espionage
- Snowden return to US hinges on amnesty, his legal adviser says
- BlackBerry may have some life left with Pentagon order
- Pew: Most young Americans support Snowden
A request for comment by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence was not immediately returned. CNET will update when we hear back.
However, a Clapper spokesperson told Mashable that Clapper was referring to "anyone who is assisting Edward Snowden further harm our nation through the unauthorized disclosure of stolen documents." When asked if that included journalists, the spokesperson declined to specify.
It is possible that Clapper was referring to information that has not yet been released, although if that's the case then he's letting it be known to the public in a manner that makes it hard to verify.
And as it has been noted by the Press Freedom Foundation, an organization dedicated to protecting public-interest journalism, "unauthorized disclosure" could be a euphemism for "publishing."
Electronic Frontier Foundation senior staff attorney Kurt Opsahl said last summer, when Clapper defended his pre-Snowden statements about domestic spying before Congress as "least untruthful," that careful word choice is nothing new to Clapper's office.
"The DNI has a history of playing games with wording, using terms with carefully obscured meanings to leave an impression different from the truth," Opsahl told CNET then.
