NSA leaker Edward Snowden told the Huffington Post on Thursday that news organizations have been “misled” by associates of his father into printing “false claims” about his legal situation.
“I would like to correct the record: I’ve been fortunate to have legal advice from an international team of some of the finest lawyers in the world, and to work with journalists whose integrity and courage are beyond question,” Snowden wrote in an email to the Huffington Post’s Michael Calderone. “There is no conflict amongst myself and any of the individuals or organizations with whom I have been involved.”
“Neither my father, his lawyer Bruce Fein, nor his wife Mattie Fein represent me in any way,” the email continued. “None of them have been or are involved in my current situation, and this will not change in the future. I ask journalists to understand that they do not possess any special knowledge regarding my situation or future plans, and not to exploit the tragic vacuum of my father’s emotional compromise for the sake of tabloid news.”
Snowden’s email “correcting the record” came on the heels of a Wall Street Journal report published Thursday, in which Mrs. Fein said the lawyers of Snowden’s father believed journalist Glenn Greenwald and Julian Assange’s WikiLeaks organization had been working to promote their own interests over those of Snowden.
