House intel chair: Edward Snowden is 'under Russian influence'

House intel chair: Edward Snowden is 'under Russian influence'

Washington lawmakers have vilified former NSA contractor turned secret-spiller Edward Snowden ever since he fled the country for safe harbor in Russia. And with Russia's incursion into Ukraine, those criticisms have taken on a new dimension to reflect the escalating tension between Moscow and the U.S. To wit, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, insisted Sunday on Meet the Press that Snowden aided Russia by leaking classified information about America's spy programs, and that he was now tacitly supporting its expansionist aggression.

"He is under the influence of Russian intelligence officials today," Rogers said. "He is actually supporting in an odd way this very activity of brazen brutality and expansionism of Russia."

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.