Congress Eagerly Leaked Classified Information To Try To Discredit Snowden For Leaking Classified Information

from the snake-eats-itself dept

It's been two years since the very first news report in the Guardian based on documents provided by Ed Snowden. The NY Times (and other newspapers around the globe in varying languages) has published an op-ed by Snowden himself that gives a nice summary of how much has happened in the past two years, with real pushback finally starting to appear. As Snowden says:
The balance of power is beginning to shift. We are witnessing the emergence of a post-terror generation, one that rejects a worldview defined by a singular tragedy. For the first time since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, we see the outline of a politics that turns away from reaction and fear in favor of resilience and reason. With each court victory, with every change in the law, we demonstrate facts are more convincing than fear. As a society, we rediscover that the value of a right is not in what it hides, but in what it protects.
And yet, on the same day, Jason Leopold has also published details of how Congress regularly leaked classified information in an effort to demonize Snowden and to make it look like his actions caused harm -- something they still cannot show.

As you may recall, late in 2013, a talking point emerged that Snowden had made off with 1.7 million documents -- many of which included military secrets. The number had changed a bunch. The first claim was 60,000 documents. Then 200,000. When 60 Minutes did an NSA puff piece in December of that year it had ballooned to 1.5 million documents. A few days later, politicians seemed to settle on 1.7 million documents -- even as Glenn Greenwald (who actually had the documents) pointed out that it wasn't even close to true.

As we, and many others, pointed out around then, the 1.7 million claim appeared to come based on faulty assumptions, with the big one being that he copied every document from every network he ever scanned. A few months later, after all the fuss died down, James Clapper finally admitted that the 1.7 million number was hogwash -- but, by then, most of the press had moved on.

As Leopold's reporting has turned up, however, Congressional Snowden-haters were really, really eager to use this claim of 1.7 million documents to "shift the story" on Snowden. They had received that number as a talking point in a DIA briefing and wanted to make use of it:
"Members from both sides (Reps. Richard Nugent, Austin Scott, Henry "Hank" Johnson, Jr. and Susan Davis) repeatedly pressed the [DIA] briefers for information from the [Snowden damage] report to be made releasable to the public," states a February 6, 2014 DIA summary prepared for then-DIA director Lieutenant General Michael Flynn and deputy director David Shedd about a briefing on the Snowden leaks for members of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities.

"[Redacted] explained the restrictions were to [redacted] but the members appeared unmoved by this argument. Overall, HASC [House Armed Services Committee] members were both appreciative of the report and expressed repeatedly that this information needed to be shared with the American public."
Of course, that didn't stop Congress critters from leaking the data anyway:
On December 18, the Washington Post's Walter Pincus published a column, citing anonymous sources, that contained details from the Snowden damage assessment. Three days earlier, 60 Minutes had broadcast a report that was widely condemned as overly sympathetic to the NSA. Foreign Policy and Bloomberg published news stories on January 9, 2014, three days after the damage assessment report was turned over to six congressional oversight committees. Both of those reports quoted a statement from Republican congressional leaders who cited the DIA's classified damage assessment report and asserted that Snowden's leaks endangered the lives of US military personnel.
Most of those came before the DIA released the number as an unclassified "talking point."

And the documents also reveal that Congress seemed pretty focused on figuring out ways to "change the narrative" on Snowden, rather than actually assessing what Snowden took -- and, apparently felt they could decide on their own which information in the briefing was classified and what was unclassified, so long as it served their own narrative:
During one classified briefing the damage assessment task force officials held for members of the House Intelligence Committee on Intelligence, lawmakers asked why Snowden, "who claims publicly to be seeking to reform NSA… acquired so many DoD files unrelated to NSA activities."

"[Redacted] explained that [Snowden] appeared to have acquired all files he could reach" was the answer. House Intelligence Committee chairman Mike Rogers and Congressman Adam Schiff "raised the issue that most documents were DoD related — which [redacted] confirmed — and both the congressmen stated they believed this simple fact was both unclassified… and was important for changing the narrative" about Snowden, states an undated summary of the House Intelligence Committee briefing the DIA prepared for Flynn and Shedd.
And, thus, it appears many in Congress had no problem potentially leaking classified information to attack Snowden as a "traitor" for leaking classified information, even though the claims about what he leaked were not, in fact, true.
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Filed Under: classified information, congress, damage assessment, dia, ed snowden, leaks


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  1. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2015 @ 12:44pm

    Small correction please, check paragraph 3 for date error ("...late in 2015...").

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Personanongrata, 5 Jun 2015 @ 12:50pm

    President To Prison

    Edward Snowden for US president in 2016.

    US congress for prison in 2016.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2015 @ 12:58pm

    The continuous never ending haystack of lies and deceit , welcome to congress .

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2015 @ 1:05pm

    it appears many in Congress had no problem potentially leaking classified information to attack Snowden as a "traitor" for leaking classified information, even though the claims about what he leaked were not, in fact, true.


    Wasn't the who's-on-first skit in the other story?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. icon
    beltorak (profile), 5 Jun 2015 @ 1:31pm

    Re: President To Prison

    that would be hilarious if he won by popular vote.

    unfortunately he cannot hold that office this cycle.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2015 @ 1:32pm

    Re: President To Prison

    Under the constitution Snowden is too young to be president.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2015 @ 1:34pm

    Shouldn't what's classified be based on what's in the public interest. When what's classified, what's released, and what's 'leaked' is based on the interest and agenda of those in power and when it's based on that which doesn't embarrass them then something is wrong.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2015 @ 1:57pm

    anything to make it appear that it wasn't them that had sailed the people down the river. even up to a day or so ago, Mitch McConnell was still throwing accusations at Snowden for what he did and outright calling him a traitor! he needs to look in the mirror, considering the stance he took and the part he played in the spying of US citizens in the USA and everywhere else!!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2015 @ 2:12pm

    Perfect sense in the USA

    1. We leak classified information to discredit people who leak classified information.

    2. We kill people who kill people because killing people is wrong.

    Makes perfect sense in the USA.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    Personanongrata, 5 Jun 2015 @ 2:39pm

    Re: Re: President To Prison

    The Department of Justice (ha-ha) (sic) can simply grant Mr. Snowden a waiver on the age requirements.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2015 @ 2:57pm

    Leaks...

    ...are nothing new. Folks in all areas of governments - and in any country - leaks secrets from time to time. Either to:

    a) promote a political agenda

    b) credit or discredit somebody

    c) take a moral or philosophical stand

    d) "payment" to a journalist to defer a different (or sensitive) story

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2015 @ 4:38pm

    "it's not a crime when we do it" the watchword of a totalitarian regime.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 6 Jun 2015 @ 12:38pm

    Congress has emergency plans already in place for when the shit hits the fan.

    It truly sounds like some badly-written B movie about a dystopian future, but when Congress has pre-written bills authorizing martial law (with or without presidential consent) along with plans to 'separate' large swathes of its own population from outside media (news, internet etc) and start up internment camps then Holy shit....

    link to this | view in thread ]


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