The world's most notorious "leaker": "Trump loves Putin more than anyone else"
Edward Snowden, the world's most notorious leaker, said that no one is as loved by US President Donald Trump as Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite many disagreements between the two countries.
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President Putin (left) and President Trump chat on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Vietnam in 2017. Photo: AFP |
“I think people are asking too much to hope that the Mueller investigation will produce evidence against Trump, to show that Putin and Trump were connected,” Snowden said, referring to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the US election and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow in the 2016 election.
According to Snowden, who is living in Moscow, President Trump is not the type of person who is willing to engage in double spy games so that President Putin can rely on him if Russia wants to interfere in the US election.
“Frankly, anyone who has heard Trump speak for three minutes or so has realized that he is not that type of person. He is not the type of person who can engage in espionage when he can’t even remember what he’s going to say at the end of a sentence. But that doesn’t mean he’s not willing to cooperate, that doesn’t mean he won’t do things to gain an advantage,” Snowden added.
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Edward Snowden. Photo: Reuters |
In April, President Trump tweeted that US-Russia relations were at an “unprecedented low,” even during the Cold War, after the two countries clashed over Syria. However, Mr. Trump still called his Russian counterpart to congratulate him after Mr. Putin took office, and officials on both sides are said to still be planning a meeting between the two leaders.
Known as the world's most notorious "leaker", Edward Snowden caused a stir when he revealed a series of classified information, including the biggest scandal in the history of the US National Security Agency in 2013. Before arriving in Russia, Snowden fled to Hong Kong to avoid facing espionage charges in the US. In 2014, the world's most wanted "leaker" was granted a 3-year residence permit in Russia, which was then extended until 2020.
