© MSNBC
Edward Snowden in Moscow speaking with Brian Williams on Sept. 16, 2019.
Edward Snowden in Moscow speaking with Brian Williams on Sept. 16, 2019.
The decision by Judge Liam O'Grady in U.S. District Court in Eastern Virginia did not detail how much Snowden should have to pay the U.S. government in connection with his book "Permanent Record."
That amount likely will be decided later by O'Grady.
The judge's ruling Tuesday came in response to a request by the government to grant summary judgment in a lawsuit against Snowden for violating the terms of secrecy agreements he signed while working at the Central Intelligence Agency as an employee and contractor, and at the National Security Agency as a contractor.
The Justice Department is seeking to recover "all proceeds earned by Snowden," it has previously said.
In a tweet on Thursday, Snowden wrote, "The government may steal a dollar, but it cannot erase the idea that earned it."
"I wrote this book, Permanent Record, for you, and I hope the government's ruthless desperation to prevent its publication only inspires you read it — and then gift it to another."
Comment: A state that cannot defend itself is not a state. Isn't that what Israel has trumpeted from the beginning. Yet Israel and the U.S. expect Palestine to kneel and gratefully accept the 'deal of the century'.