Former National Security Agency contractor and NSA leaker Edward Snowden said on Thursday that he has "legal advice from an international team of some of the finest lawyers in the world."
"I've been fortunate to have legal advice from an international team of some of the finest lawyers in the world and to work with journalists whose integrity and courage are beyond question,” Snowden said in an emailed statement to
The Huffington Post.
“There is no conflict amongst myself and any of the individuals or organizations with whom I have been involved.”
Snowden remains a fugitive in Russia after being granted temporary asylum. His email was verified by the American Civil Liberties Union, which is helping to coordinate Snowden's legal defense in the United States.
He said in the email that he was not represented "in any way" by his father, Lon Snowden; his father’s attorney, Bruce Fein; nor his wife, Mattie Fein.
“None of them have been or are involved in my current situation, and this will not change in the future,” Snowden said. “I ask journalists to understand that they do not possess any special knowledge regarding my situation or future plans, and not to exploit the tragic vacuum of my father's emotional compromise for the sake of tabloid news.”
On Thursday, Mattie Fein told
The Wall Street Journal that Lon Snowden's legal team did not trust Glenn Greenwald, the columnist for The Guardian in London that published the first reports of the NSA's surveillance programs from information provided by Edward Snowden.
Fein added that Lon Snowden's lawyers also did not trust WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy organization that has advised Snowden in Russia.
She also claimed that Greenwald was shopping an exclusive interview with Edward Snowden for seven figures.
Greenwald told the Journal that Fein's claim was "defamatory."
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