Snowden requests that the press stop trying to benefit from his father's vulnerable state.

[JDPriestly]

Please note that some of the quotes are translated from a French translation of Snowden's probably English statements. Snowden's actual wording may be very different.

Edward Snowden, currently in temporary exile in Russia, has spoken out against the positions taken by the lawyers and spokespersons for his family in the American media. In an e-mail addressed to the Huffington Post, he stated that neither his father nor his father's lawyer, Bruce Fein, nor Fein's wife "represent him in any way," calling upon them to stop making "false statements about my situation."

He directly attacked the media, accusing it of taking advantage of or seeking to benefit from his father's psychological state, with multiple interviews on cable and American radio:

(I am omitting my English translation of a quote from Snowden paraphrased above because I suspect that Snowden's actual words were very different from words I would use to translate the French translation of Snowden's English words. Just too inaccurate after all that translating.)

The vehemence of Edward Snowden's statement followed the assertions of Mattie Fein, the spokesperson designated by Snowden's family, to the Wall Street Journal (a Murdoch publication) who reproached journalist Glenn Greenwald who exposed the (surveillance) affair in order "to manipulate it for his personal interest." [omitted text about an attempt to sell an interview to the media for more than a million dollars].

Edward Snowden defended the integrity of the journalist to whom he gave the confidential documents, acknowledging "his courage which could not be placed in question." Snowden added that there have been no conflicts between himself and any one of the people or organizations with which he has been involved."

http://www.lemonde.fr/ameriques/article/2013/08/16/snowden-s-en-prend-aux-avocats-de-sa-famille_3462311_3222.html


Edward Snowden, actuellement en exil temporaire en Russie, s'est insurgé contre les propos tenus par les avocats et porte-parole de sa famille dans les médias américains. Dans un e-mail adressé au Huffington Post, il déclare que ni son père, ni son avocat Bruce Fein, ni la femme de celui-ci ne le "représentent d'aucune manière", les sommant d'arrêter de faire "de fausses déclarations au sujet de ma situation."

Il s'en prend directement aux médias, accusé de profiter de l'état psychologique de son père, qui multiplie les entretiens sur les chaînes et radios américaines :

"Je demande donc aux journalistes de comprendre qu'ils ne possèdent aucune information particulière en ce qui concerne ma situation ou mes plans futurs, et leur demande de ne pas exploiter le vide tragique de l'état émotionnel de mon père pour faire la 'une' des tabloïds."

La véhémence des propos d'Edward Snowden fait suite aux déclarations de Mattie Fein, désigné comme la porte-parole de la famille, au Wall Street Journal, qui reproche au journaliste Glenn Greenwald, qui a révélé l'affaire, de "le manipuler pour son propre intérêt personnel." Et l'accuse d'avoir essayé de vendre une interview exclusive de Snowden pour un grand média pour plus d'un million de dollars, ce que l'intéressé a qualifié de "diffamatoire".

Edward Snowden défend l'intégrité du journaliste à qui il a remis les documents confidentiels saluant "son courage, qui ne peut être remis en question". Il ajoute qu'il n'"y a pas eu de conflit entre moi-même et l'une des personnes ou organisations avec lesquelles j'ai été impliqué".

http://www.lemonde.fr/ameriques/article/2013/08/16/snowden-s-en-prend-aux-avocats-de-sa-famille_3462311_3222.html

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. Snowden's statement to Huffington Post:

It has come to my attention that news organizations seeking information regarding my current situation have, due to the difficulty in contacting me directly, been misled by individuals associated with my father into printing false claims about my situation.

I would like to correct the record: I've been fortunate to have legal advice from an international team of some of the finest lawyers in the world, and to work with journalists whose integrity and courage are beyond question. There is no conflict amongst myself and any of the individuals or organizations with whom I have been involved.

Neither my father, his lawyer Bruce Fein, nor his wife Mattie Fein represent me in any way. None of them have been or are involved in my current situation, and this will not change in the future. I ask journalists to understand that they do not possess any special knowledge regarding my situation or future plans, and not to exploit the tragic vacuum of my father's emotional compromise for the sake of tabloid news.

Thank you.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/15/edward-snowden-media-misled_n_3764560.html

[JDPriestly]

2. Thanks. I read "tragic vacuum," but thought that was an overly emotional translation.

Thanks. Makes it all pretty clear, I think.

As a lawyer, Bruce Fein is quite respected, but, although he is an expert on the Constitution, he is very conservative and associated with conservative organizations.