HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019758.jpg
1.55 MB
Extraction Summary
12
People
5
Organizations
4
Locations
2
Events
3
Relationships
4
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Book excerpt / government production document
File Size:
1.55 MB
Summary
This document is a page from the book 'How America Lost Its Secrets' by Edward Jay Epstein, produced as part of a House Oversight investigation (stamped HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019758). The text details an interview between the author and Snowden's Russian lawyer, Kucherena, discussing Snowden's potential possession of CIA files, the division of labor between his legal teams (Kucherena in Russia, Ben Wizner/ACLU in the US), and Snowden's financial state upon arriving in Russia. The document clarifies that media access to Snowden was controlled by Ben Wizner.
People (12)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Kucherena | Russian Lawyer |
Edward Snowden's Russian lawyer and author of a novel featuring a Snowden-like character.
|
| Edward Snowden | Subject |
Former intelligence contractor currently in Russia; subject of the author's inquiry.
|
| Shevardnadze | Interviewer/Journalist |
Sophie Shevardnadze, mentioned as asking Kucherena about secret material.
|
| Joshua Frost | Fictional Character |
A character in Kucherena's novel, described as a 'thinly veiled Snowden-based character'.
|
| Ben Wizner | American Lawyer |
Snowden's lawyer at the ACLU; handles vetting of journalists and the 'Snowden narrative'.
|
| Barton Gellman | Journalist |
Listed as a past interviewer of Snowden in Moscow.
|
| James Bamford | Journalist |
Listed as a past interviewer of Snowden in Moscow.
|
| Brian Williams | Journalist |
Listed as a past interviewer of Snowden in Moscow.
|
| John Oliver | Journalist/Host |
Listed as a past interviewer of Snowden in Moscow.
|
| Alan Rusbridger | Journalist |
Listed as a past interviewer of Snowden in Moscow.
|
| Katrina vanden Heuvel | Journalist |
Listed as a past interviewer of Snowden in Moscow.
|
| Edward Jay Epstein | Author (Implied) |
The narrator 'I', author of 'How America Lost Its Secrets'.
|
Organizations (5)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| CIA |
Central Intelligence Agency; mentioned regarding Snowden's service and stolen documents.
|
|
| ACLU |
American Civil Liberties Union; employer of Ben Wizner.
|
|
| BBC |
British Broadcasting Corporation; conducted an interview with Snowden in 2015.
|
|
| FBI |
Federal Bureau of Investigation; investigated Snowden's bank withdrawals.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Government body indicated by the stamp 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT'.
|
Timeline (2 events)
Locations (4)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Location where Snowden is residing and where Kucherena operates.
|
|
|
Specific city in Russia where interviews took place.
|
|
|
Stopover location for Snowden.
|
|
|
Implied by 'U.S. intelligence'.
|
Relationships (3)
Kucherena cites attorney-client privilege; handles liaisons with Russian authorities.
Wizner is described as Snowden's American lawyer at the ACLU handling the narrative.
Division of labor: Kucherena handles Russian authorities, Wizner handles media/narrative.
Key Quotes (4)
""I can't tell you that," he said. "If I said he was Snowden, it would violate the attorney-client privilege.""Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019758.jpg
Quote #1
""That is for you to decide," he answered with a sly smile. "It's my first novel.""Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019758.jpg
Quote #2
""His legal defense is fairly expensive.""Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019758.jpg
Quote #3
""He was penniless when he arrived," he replied."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019758.jpg
Quote #4
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,296 characters)
270 | HOW AMERICA LOST ITS SECRETS
deemed others too sensitive for journalists. So I wanted to find out from Kucherena which documents Snowden had taken to Russia. I went about it in a roundabout way. When Shevardnadze asked him about the secret material Snowden might reveal in Russia, Kucherena pointedly called her attention to Snowden's CIA service, suggesting that he might possess CIA files. I also knew that in Kucherena's roman à clef, he had Joshua Frost, the thinly veiled Snowden-based character, steal a vast number of CIA documents that could do great damage to U.S. intelligence. By retaining them, Frost made himself a prime target of the CIA.
So I asked, "Is Joshua Frost fact or fiction?"
"I can't tell you that," he said. "If I said he was Snowden, it would violate the attorney-client privilege."
"I understand," I said. "But did Snowden do what Frost did in your book?"
"That is for you to decide," he answered with a sly smile. "It's my first novel."
When I asked if he could arrange for me to see Snowden, he said that first I would have to submit my questions to Ben Wizner, Snowden's American lawyer at the ACLU. He made it clear to me that the exposure of Snowden to journalists, or at least the vetting of journalists, had been outsourced to Wizner. Kucherena was handling Snowden's liaisons with the Russian authorities while Wizner was handling the Snowden narrative, including selecting the media outlets. Presumably, Wizner had handpicked Snowden's past interviewers in Moscow, including Barton Gellman, James Bamford, Brian Williams, John Oliver, Alan Rusbridger, and Katrina vanden Heuvel.
"After that, the final decision is up to Snowden," he said. That seemed to conclude the interview, but as I got up to leave, he added, "His legal defense is fairly expensive."
Snowden had said in a BBC interview in 2015, as previously mentioned, that he had brought enough cash to Hong Kong and Russia to cover all of his expenses. So I asked Kucherena if Snowden had brought his own funds.
"He was penniless when he arrived," he replied. I found that answer plausible because the FBI reportedly had not found a large cash withdrawal from his account before his departure and it seemed
Epst_9780451494566_2p_all_r1.indd 270 9/30/16 8:13 AM
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019758
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019758
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