Backtracks on comparison, however.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Former National Security Agency (NSA) consultant and current fugitive from US justice Eric Snowden has been compared to Indian freedom fighter and legend Mohandas Gandhi by a US Congressman.
In an interview with the UK newspaper The Guardian, Representative John Lewis (D-Georgia) made the comparison between Snowden and Gandhi, saying that the American whistleblower was answering to higher powers by doing what he is doing.
“Some people say criminality or treason or whatever,†said Lewis. “He could say he was acting because he was appealing to a higher law. Many of us have some real, real problems with how the government has been spying on people.â€
His comments stand in stark contrast with the Obama administration, which has been in hot pursuit of Snowden ever since he fled the US in June to take refuge in Hong Kong. In an interview with The Guardian, made public on June 9th a few days after it took place, Snowden said he was horrified when he discovered how much the US government spies on the calls, emails, and communications of its citizens. His position at the NSA – where he was working as a consultant via Booz Allen Hamilton – afforded him access to information that shocked Snowden, prompting him to flee the country and blow the whistle on these practices. The White House was quick to deny the allegations, and on June 14th filed espionage and conspiracy charges against Snowden.
Snowden has now been granted refuge in Russia, after living in a Moscow airport for nearly a month. Russian president Vladimir Putin allowed Snowden to live in Moscow, an action that has deeply upset the Obama administration and added further strain to an already tense political situation. President Obama cancelled a trip to Russia he was supposed to take next week.
Lewis, meanwhile, seems to have backtracked on the statements he made in the interview with The Guardian.
He released a statement in which he claims “News reports about my interview with The Guardian are misleading, and they do not reflect my complete opinion. Let me be clear. I do not agree with what Mr. Snowden did. He has damaged American international relations and compromised our national security. He leaked classified information and may have jeopardized human lives [and] that must be condemned.â€
The US charges against Snowden still stand, and it remains to be seen how long he will stay – or will be allowed to stay – in Russia.