(10 Oct 2013) Four former U.S. government officials who met former National Security Agency systems analyst Edward Snowden said on Thursday that he's adjusting to life in Russia and has no regrets about leaking highly classified information.
Coleen Rowley, Raymond McGovern, Jesselyn Radack and Thomas Drake have all criticised their previous employers in the US government and in some cases exposed what they believe to be wrongdoing in its security agencies.
They presented Snowden with the Sam Adams Award for Integrity in Intelligence.
They are the first Americans known to have met him since he was granted asylum in Russia in August.
His father also arrived in Russia to see his son on Thursday.
The Americans said they saw no evidence that Snowden was under the control of the Russian security services.
"He is being manipulated by nobody. And that's a fact. He spoke very openly about a whole range of things, a number of which I won't get into here, but it certainly didn't involve any kind of manipulation by the Russian government or anyone else for that matter," said Jesselyn Radack, a former Justice Department adviser.
"He's actually far safer here than anywhere else, and it's clearly one of the ironies of our history, that Russia would actually respect international law and grant him asylee status," said former NSA executive Thomas Drake.
Drake gave inside information to a newspaper about an electronic espionage programme he saw as invasive, and was indicted, like Snowden, under the Espionage Act.
However, felony charges against him were dropped before trial and he was convicted on a lesser charge and sentenced to one year of probation and community service.
He said Snowden was adapting to Russia.
"He spoke about everyday activities, he spoke about going out and about, and getting to understand Russia, and its culture, and the people. This is where he lives now, and so where you live is your home," he said.
The four former officials refused to say where they met Snowden or where he is living.
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