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Soon after President Obama appointed him director of national intelligence in 2009, Dennis C. Blair called for a tally of the number of government officials or employees who had been prosecuted for leaking national security secrets. He was dismayed by what he found. In the previous four years, the record showed, 153 cases had been referred to the Justice Department. Not one had led to an indictment. That scorecard “was pretty shocking to all of us,” Mr. Blair said. So in a series of phone calls and meetings, he and Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. fashioned a more aggressive...

As an aside during testimony on Capitol Hill today, a National Security Agency representative rather casually indicated that the government looks at data from a universe of far, far more people than previously indicated. Chris Inglis, the agency's deputy director, was one of several government representatives—including from the FBI and the office of the Director of National Intelligence—testifying before the House Judiciary Committee this morning. Most of the testimony largely echoed previous testimony by the agencies on the topic of the government's surveillance, including a retread of the same offered examples for how the Patriot Act and Foreign Intelligence Surveillance...

WASHINGTON – The White House is considering canceling a fall summit between President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, a move that would further aggravate the already tense relationship between the two leaders. The White House is dangling that option over the Russians as Moscow considers a temporary asylum petition from Edward Snowden, the American accused of leaking information about classified U.S. intelligence programs. But officials have privately signaled that scrapping the bilateral talks would also be retaliation for other areas of disagreement with Russia, including its continued support for Syrian President Bashar Assad's attacks against civilians.

South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham was “dead wrong” when he suggested the United States should boycott the 2014 Winter Olympics...House Speaker John Boehner said. ..“Listen, I love Sen. Graham. We’ve been close friends for 20 years..Boehner said.. “Why would we want to punish U.S. athletes who have been training for three years to compete in the Olympics... Graham said boycotting the Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, would “send the Russians the most unequivocal signal” ..what they’re doing is outrageous,... if they grant this guy asylum it’s a breach of the rule of law as we know it and is...

Video: interview - Part 1Video: interview - Part 2Article: Cheney defends NSA programs, says Snowden a 'traitor,' Obama 'lacks credibility'

NSA leaker Edward Snowden is boasting that he’s immune from torture and can never be broken, even by the world’s most experienced interrogators. He made that odd claim in an equally strange e-mail exchange with former Sen. Gordon Humphrey (R-NH), The Guardian newspaper of Britain reported. Humphrey wrote a supportive note to Snowden, thanking him for doing the “right thing in exposing what I regard as massive violation of the United States Constitution.” The former lawmaker’s well-wishing letter came with a caveat: “Provided you have not leaked information that would put in harm’s way any intelligence agent.” Snowden wrote back...

A hero to some, villain to others, Edward Snowden has been nominated for the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize by a Swedish university professor who also took a less-than-subtle swipe at Barack Obama, as reported by Russia Today (RT) on July 16, 2013. Professor Stefan Svallfors of Sweden's Umeå University has formally nominated one of America's most wanted men, former-NSA employee Edward Snowden for the Nobel Peace Prize on the grounds of his “heroic effort at great personal cost.”

I thought the Snowden saga had become as much of a freak show as it could be. I was wrong. You know Graham’s too far into the deep end of the pool when even McCain’s calling him back to the shallow side. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said the U.S. should consider boycotting the 2014 Olympics Russia is set to host if Moscow grants NSA leaker Edward Snowden asylum.“I would. I would just send the Russians the most unequivocal signal I could send them,” Graham said Tuesday when asked about the possibility of a boycott.“It might help, because what they’re doing...

Snowden Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize After ‘Disrepute Incurred’ for Picking Obama By Andrew Johnson July 15, 2013 11:49 AM A Swedish professor has nominated NSA leaker Edward Snowden for the Nobel Peace Prize for his revelations of the surveillance program, but also to redeem the award’s prestige after it was awarded to President Obama in 2009. In his letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Umea University’s Stefan Svallfors argues that Snowden, who would be the award’s youngest winner at 30, exemplified that “individuals can stand up for fundamental rights and freedoms.” Svallfors lauded Snowden’s “heroic effort at great personal...

Fugitive document-leaker Edward Snowden announced Friday that he is submitting a request for political asylum in Russia, where he has been stranded at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport since June 23. Eventually, the 30-year-old former contractor for the National Security Agency said in a meeting with human rights activists and lawyers, he still hopes to be granted asylum in Latin America.

Edward Snowden gives a news conference at Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow with human rights activists Edward Snowden (centre) gives a news conference at Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow with human rights activists. The American whistleblower Edward Snowden has accused the US of waging a campaign of "historically disproportionate aggression" against him during an extraordinary meeting with human rights activists and Russian officials at the Moscow airport where he has been trapped since 23 June. In his first appearance since disclosing his identity in the Guardian last month, Snowden insisted he had no regrets and had made a "moral decision" to leak...

Diplomacy: National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden seems to have taken Venezuela's asylum offer, an odd choice for a man supposedly motivated by a desire for transparency. He should prepare for life as a pawn. U.S. surveillance is "not something I am willing to live under," Snowden told the U.K. Guardian's Glenn Greenwald, in a story published Monday, condemning yet again the NSA, whose operations, he claims, motivated him to hack into its computers, steal U.S. secrets, leak them to the press, and then flee a $100,000-a-year job and a pole-dancing girlfriend on the island paradise of Hawaii for a...

US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, who has been holed up in a Moscow airport for more than two weeks, has agreed to an offer of political asylum from Venezuela, a top pro-Kremlin lawmaker said on Tuesday.

In an interview to be published in this week’s issue of Spiegel, American intelligence agency whistleblower Edward Snowden criticizes the methods and power of the National Security Agency. Snowden said the NSA people are “in bed together with the Germans.” He added that the NSA's “Foreign Affairs Directorate” is responsible for partnerships with other countries. The partnerships are organized in a way that authorities in other countries can “insulate their political leaders from the backlash” in the event it becomes public “how grievously they're violating global privacy.” … Spiegel reporting also indicates that cooperation between the NSA and Germany’s foreign...

MANAGUA, Nicaragua — The presidents of Nicaragua and Venezuela offered Friday to grant asylum to NSA leaker Edward Snowden, one day after leftist South American leaders gathered to denounce the rerouting of Bolivian President Evo Morales’ plane over Europe amid reports that the American was aboard. Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua and Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela made their offers during separate speeches in their home countries Friday afternoon. Snowden has asked for asylum in numerous countries, including Nicaragua and Venezuela. “As head of state, the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela decided to offer humanitarian asylum to the young American...

(Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Friday he had decided to offer asylum to former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who has petitioned several countries to avoid capture by Washington. "In the name of America's dignity ... I have decided to offer humanitarian asylum to Edward Snowden," Maduro told a televised military parade marking Venezuela's independence day. The 30-year-old former National Security Agency contractor is believed to be holed up in the transit area of Moscow's Sheremetyevo international airport. WikiLeaks said on Friday that Snowden had applied to six more nations for asylum, bringing to about 20 the...

Nicolas Maduro, the President of Venezuela, is the first head of state to make a formal offer to give NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden asylum.  Snowden is believed to be continuing his ‘limbo’ at the Moscow airport.“I have decided to offer humanitarian asylum to the young American, Edward Snowden, so that in the fatherland of (Simon) Bolivar and (Hugo) Chavez, he can come and live away from the imperial North American persecution,” Maduro told a televised parade marking Venezuela’s independence day.Snowden continues to be sought by the American government, and charges against him may include treason.Alfred James reporting

Edward Snowden denied Icelandic citizenship after being voted down by its parliament The vote leaves Snowden - believed to be staying in a transit area at a Moscow airport - with one option fewer as he seeks a country to shelter him from U.S. espionage charges. Edward Snowden, who worked as a contract employee at the National Security Agency, was denied citizenship by Iceland.A bid by Edward Snowden for Icelandic citizenship failed when the country's parliament voted not to debate it before the summer recess, lawmakers said on Friday. The vote leaves Snowden - believed to be staying in a...

MANAGUA — Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said Friday his government was willing to give political asylum to US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden "if circumstances permit" it. "We are open, respectful of the right to asylum, and it is clear that if circumstances permit it, we would receive Snowden with pleasure and give him asylum here in Nicaragua," Ortega said at a public event.

Some of the bizarre aspects of the Snowden Moscow story: Snowden and Harrison have allegedly been in the transit terminal at Sheremetyevo airport for almost two weeks now, and despite the presence of many prying eyes, neither has been seen. How is that possible? They were reported to have flown from Hong Kong to Moscow, but in this age of cellphone and iPad cameras, there is not one piece of photographic evidence that they were on the flight, or got off it. Snowden is allegedly in communication with his legal team, but Julian Assange is the source of that information,...