Document dumper Edward Snowden has declared victory, bragging that his “mission’s already accomplished,” during an interview published Monday.
“I already won,” the 30-year-old NSA leaker told The Washington Post. “For me, in terms of personal satisfaction, the mission’s already accomplished.”
The former government contractor portrayed himself as a hero and said the reams top-secret government files were exposed for the good of society.
“Everything that I had been trying to do was validated,” Snowden said. “Because, remember, I didn’t want to change society. I wanted to give society a chance to determine if it should change itself.”
He went on, “I am working to improve the NSA. I am still working for the NSA right now. They are the only ones who don’t realize it.”
Snowden’s comments come as President Obama is considering whether to implement changes in NSA data-collection procedures.
A fugitive from prosecution in the United States, Snowden is holed up in Russia, where he was granted temporary asylum.