US sues whistle-blower Edward Snowden over new memoir
- Justice Department seeks ‘recover all proceeds’ from book, which was released on Tuesday
- Former National Security Agency contractor alleged to have violated non-disclosure agreements by not letting government review book before publication
The US government filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, alleging he violated non-disclosure agreements by publishing a memoir without giving the government an opportunity to review it first.
The Justice Department is seeking to “recover all proceeds” from Snowden’s book, which was released on Tuesday.
Snowden published his book, Permanent Record, without submitting it for a prepublication review, in violation of non-disclosure agreements he signed with both the NSA and the Central Intelligence Agency, the Justice Department alleges.
In his memoir, Snowden tells his life story in detail for the first time and explains why he chose to risk his freedom to become perhaps the most famous whistle-blower of all time.
It offers an expansive account of how he came in 2013 to reveal secret details about the government’s mass collection of emails, telephone calls and internet activity in the name of national security.
The civil lawsuit, filed in federal district court in the Eastern District of Virginia, is separate from the criminal case the Justice Department is pursuing related to Snowden’s alleged disclosures of confidential information.
Snowden was charged under the US Espionage Act. He now lives in Russia to avoid arrest.
“The United States’ ability to protect sensitive national security information depends on employees’ and contractors’ compliance with their non-disclosure agreements, including their prepublication review obligations,” Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt said in a statement.
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“We will not permit individuals to enrich themselves, at the expense of the United States, without complying with their prepublication review obligations.”
The Justice Department is not attempting to limit the book’s distribution, but is asking a federal judge to allow the government to collect all the proceeds from the book.
The book’s publisher, Macmillan, was also named in the lawsuit. The government is suing the publisher to ensure that no funds are transferred to Snowden while the case plays out, the Justice Department said.
Snowden’s lawyer did not immediately comment on the lawsuit.
