Contrary to what National Security Agency Director James Clapper has said, the U.S. intelligence community spies more often on American citizens than foreigners, according to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, who made the statement during his acceptance speech for the Ridenhour Award for Truth-Telling on Wednesday.
Snowden was awarded the “Truth-Telling” award along with journalist Laura Poitras who helped expose the orwellian-esque spy programs conducted by the U.S. government last year.
“Do you think it’s right that the NSA is collecting more information about Americans in America than it is about Russians in Russia?” Snowden asked. “Because that’s what our systems do. We watch our own people more closely than we watch any other population in the world.”
Since the 30-year-old is still seeking refuge in Russia, he wasn’t able to physically attend Wednesday’s award ceremony in Washington, D.C., and instead appeared via video to a standing ovation from audience members at the National Press Club.
The award, which is named after Vietnam veteran Ron Ridenhour who helped expose the massacre at My Lai in 1968, was accepted on his behalf by Snowden’s lawyer and Snowden’s father. Previous winners of the “Truth-Telling” award include Thomas Drake, a former NSA official who exposed the agency’s secrets.
During his acceptance speech, the whistleblower jumped at the opportunity to criticize the U.S. government for failing to hold Clapper accountable for lying under oath last year when testifying about the NSA’s surveillance programs. He also called out the Senate and House Intelligence committees for failing to sufficiently oversee the work of the intelligence community.
“When Clapper raised his hand and lied to the American public, was anyone tried? Were any charges brought?” Snowden rhetorically asked. “Within 24 hours of going public, I had three charges against me.” Those charges included theft, unauthorized communication of national defense information, and willful communication of classified communications intelligence information to an unauthorized person under the Espionage Act.
Snowden reiterated that he leaked the information regarding the NSA’s surveillance programs because he believed, “it was the right thing to do and now I see I’m not the only one who felt that way.”
He shared that he was surprised by the number of calls for his death from federal officials, saying “I thought the most likely outcome would be spending the rest of my life in prison.”
Snowden further explained that he fled the country because he “knew that there were no whistleblower protections that would protect me from prosecution as a private contractor as opposed to a government civilian, a direct government employee.”
He went on to say that even though he was fully aware that revealing this information would impede his ability to lead a normal life given that there isn’t any sort of whistleblower protection legislation in the U.S., he said that “didn’t change my calculus of what needed to be done.”
WIth Snowden’s temporary asylum in Russia set to expire this June, which means he could find himself in the custody of U.S. officials next month, many of his supporters, who witnessed the harsh treatment other government whistleblowers such as Pfc. Chelsea Manning have received in recent years, have expressed their concerns.
However Snowden’s lawyer Jesselyn Radack has said she is confident Russia will extend his visa for at least another year, which would keep the U.S. Justice Department from being able to prosecute Snowden for espionage.
“Obviously, he misses America and would like to be able to come home,” Radack said, but “We just don’t see that happening in the near future,” since she says her client would not return to the U.S. knowing he would be prosecuted for espionage.