The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday filed a civil lawsuit against Edward Snowden, arguing the former intelligence contractor violated government nondisclosure agreements by publishing a new book about his 2013 leaks of classified surveillance programs.
The government filed suit against Snowden and his publisher Macmillan over his new book “Permanent Record,” which hit bookstores on Tuesday. The suit was filed in federal court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The suit doesn’t seek to prevent the distribution or sale of the book — which could run afoul of First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech. Rather, the government is asking a court to seize the financial proceeds from the sale of ”Permanent Record” as well as to enjoin Snowden, who has lived in Russia since 2013, from giving speeches related to the book.
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“Intelligence information should protect our nation, not provide personal profit,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said in a statement. “This lawsuit will ensure that Edward Snowden receives no monetary benefits from breaching the trust placed in him.”
“This book contains no government secrets that have not been previously published by respected news organizations,” said Ben Wizner, an attorney for Snowden who runs the American Civil Liberties Union’s speech, privacy and technology project. “Had Mr. Snowden believed that the government would review his book in good faith, he would have submitted it for review. But the government continues to insist that facts that are known and discussed throughout the world are still somehow classified.”
An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.
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