WASHINGTON — More than three weeks since his revelations about U.S. spying sent ripples around the world, a more nuanced portrait is emerging of Edward Snowden, the former CIA contractor who initially was viewed in extremes — either a hero in the fight against government secrecy or a traitor who jeopardized national security.
Even as Snowden is stuck in the transit lounge of a Moscow airport, his public image is constantly evolving, through the publication of his Internet chat logs, statements from his father, live online conversations and an interview he gave to a Chinese newspaper.
Snowden undoubtedly remains a polarizing figure, but his supporters and detractors have received some curveballs as details of his life are revealed and in many ways eclipse the trove of government secrets he risked everything to expose.
“It’s been interesting to see this story evolve. At every step, it’s been a surprise,” said Steven Aftergood, the director of the Project on Government Secrecy for the Federation of American Scientists. “The scope of the initial disclosures was a surprise. And the fact that he was a critic of unauthorized disclosures as recently as a few years ago was an interesting revelation because it indicates how his own thinking on this has changed.”
With many thousands of words written about Snowden from all over the world, it’s difficult to keep up with his own ever-changing story, much less keep track of his piecemeal disclosures of a sweeping U.S. surveillance program.
Here are some unexpected turns in the case: