The Guardian revealed the identity of the most influential whistleblowers in political history today. Edward Snowden, a 29 year old former CIA worker and defense contractor employee, asked the paper to reveal his identity because he has "no intention of hiding who I am because I know I have done nothing wrong."
The Guardian revealed details on Snowden's story:
The individual responsible for one of the most significant leaks in US political history is Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old former technical assistant for the CIA and current employee of the defence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton. Snowden has been working at the National Security Agency for the last four years as an employee of various outside contractors, including Booz Allen and Dell.The Guardian, after several days of interviews, is revealing his identity at his request. From the moment he decided to disclose numerous top-secret documents to the public, he was determined not to opt for the protection of anonymity. “I have no intention of hiding who I am because I know I have done nothing wrong,” he said.
Snowden will go down in history as one of America’s most consequential whistleblowers, alongside Daniel Ellsberg and Bradley Manning. He is responsible for handing over material from one of the world’s most secretive organisations – the NSA.
In a note accompanying the first set of documents he provided, he wrote: “I understand that I will be made to suffer for my actions,” but “I will be satisfied if the federation of secret law, unequal pardon and irresistible executive powers that rule the world that I love are revealed even for an instant.”
After reading the story, Glenn took to Twitter to tweet his first reactions:
I think I have just read about the man for which I have waited.Earmarks of a real hero. guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun…
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) June 9, 2013
Courage finally.Real.Steady.Thoughtful.Transparent.Willing to accept the consequences. Inspire w/Malice toward none.#edwardsnowden
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) June 9, 2013
The NSA patriot leaker is just yet another chance for America to regain her moral compass and set things right. No red or blue JUST TRUTH
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) June 9, 2013