Edward Snowden Update

For John, BLUF:  Well, by the Clinton Rule, maybe we should back off.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

The Kremlin Admits Snowden is a Russian Agent

From John Schindler, on his XX Committee blog, 2 July.  Here is the yield:

In the three years since Edward Snowden landed in Moscow, his relationship with his hosts has been a source of much speculation and controversy.  The American IT contractor, who worked for the CIA and NSA until he fled Hawaii with more than a million purloined secret files, has not left Russia since he arrived at Sheremetyevo airport on 23 June 2013, on a flight from Hong Kong.

And here is how the author winds it up:

In truth, Snowden was never all that well informed about American intelligence.  Contrary to the myths that he and his mouthpieces have propagated, he was no more than an IT systems administrator.  Snowden was never any sort of bona fide spy.  There are no indications he really understands most of what he stole from NSA.

The FSB therefore milked Snowden of any valuable information rather quickly.  He likely had little light to shed on the million-plus secret files he stole.  Instead, his value to Moscow has been as a key player in Kremlin propaganda designed to discredit the Western intelligence alliance.

In that role, Snowden has done a great deal of damage to the West.  But he was never a "mole" for Moscow inside NSA.  In reality, the Snowden Operation is probably a cover to deflect attention from the one or more actual Russian moles who have been lurking inside NSA for years, undetected.

Based on the cases of previous Western intelligence defectors to Moscow, Edward Snowden faces an unhappy future.  Whatever happens to him is up to his hosts, who control all aspects of any defector's life.  There no longer can be any honest debate about his relationship with the Kremlin, which has settled the matter once and for all.  Putin and his special services consider Snowden to be nash – there is no question about that now.

Regards  —  Cliff