The former NSA contractor who leaked details of U.S. intelligence-gathering programs spoke to Brian Williams in an “NBC Nightly News” interview in Moscow.
Snowden calls himself a "patriot" and insists he is not a spy for Russia.
"I have no relationship with the Russian government at all. I've never met the Russian president," he said. "I'm not supported by the Russian government. I'm not taking money from the Russian government. I'm not a spy, which is the real question. But I would ask this question, too, you know, I would also be skeptical."
The former National Security Agency contract systems analyst is currently living in Russia on a temporary grant of asylum.
NBC
Snowden says he was trained "as a spy" and worked undercover overseas.
"I was trained as a spy in sort of the traditional sense of the word in that I lived and worked undercover overseas, pretending to work in a job that I'm not, and even being assigned a name that was not mine," Snowden said.
"So when [critics] say I'm a low-level systems administrator, that I don't know what I'm talking about, I'd say it's somewhat misleading," he added.
NBC
He wants to come home.
After leaking government secrets and fleeing the country, Snowden said he would like to return to the U.S.
"I don't think there's ever been any question that I'd like to go home. I've from Day One said that I'm doing this to serve my country," he said.
"Now, whether amnesty or clemency ever becomes a possibility is not for me to say. That's a debate for the public and the government to decide. But, if I could go anywhere in the world, that place would be home," Snowden said.
NBC
He didn't intend to end up in Russia and blames the U.S. for leaving him stranded there.
"The reality is I never intended to end up in Russia," Snowden said. "I had a flight booked to Cuba onwards to Latin America and I was stopped because the United States government decided to revoke my passport and trap me in Moscow Airport."
"So when people ask why are you in Russia, I say, 'Please ask the State Department.'"
NBC
from BuzzFeed - Breaking http://ift.tt/1pzZ14Z
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