Snowden Didn’t Ask NSA About Lawfulness

In the interview with Brian Williams broadcast Wednesday, Edward Snowden said one of his “final official acts in government” was bringing up concerns about the lawfulness of National Security Agency surveillance with the agency’s legal counsel. But a letter released by the government Thursday undercuts his claim. Snowden’s April 2013 letter didn’t raise any concerns about NSA programs, but rather asked one question about executive orders. What’s more, Snowden sent the letter after he decided he to leak NSA documents. Snowden said last year that he joined consultants Booz Allen Hamilton in March 2013 solely to gain access to files he planned to leak later. He sent the NSA letter in a month later.