Edward Snowden, speaking in his first interview with an American news organization last night, described himself as a "patriot" for trying to stop the violations of the Constitution he saw. "Whether amnesty or clemency ever becomes a possibility is not for me to say," he said. "That's a debate for the public and the government to decide. But if I could go anywhere in the world, that place would be home." More from Snowden's interview with NBC's Brian Williams, which aired in full last night:
- "People don't set their lives on fire, they don't say goodbye to their families ... they don't walk away from their extraordinarily comfortable lives ... and burn down everything they love for no reason," he said, though he says he's gained something. "I may have lost my ability to travel, but I've gained the ability to go to sleep at night and to put my head on the pillow and feel comfortable that I've done the right thing even when it was the hard thing. And I'm comfortable with that."