Snowden to Media: Take No Notice of My Father

Edward Snowden says his father has misled journalists into "printing false claims about my situation," and he has no special knowledge about his situation or future plans.

The National Security Agency leaker, in a statement to The Huffington Post,  insisted that neither his father, Lon, nor the older man's attorney Bruce Fein or Fein's wife Mattie "represent me in any way," and that will not be changing.

"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," Snowden wrote.

Mattie Fein on Thursday told The Wall Street Journal  that Lon Snowden's legal team does not trust Guardian columnist Glenn Greenwald, who broke the NSA story, or WikiLeaks, which advised Snowden in Russia.

Fein also claimed Greenwald was trying to sell an exclusive interview with Snowden for a seven-figure payout, which Greenwald said was "defamatory."

Snowden insisted he has gotten excellent legal advice from an "international team of some of the finest lawyers in the world," and he stood behind Greenwald and other journalists, saying he has been fortunate "to work with journalists whose integrity and courage are above question."

Further, he insisted, he has had no conflict with any of the people or organizations that have been directly involved with him.

Snowden's email to The Huffington Post was confirmed by Ben Wizner, director of the Speech, Privacy and Technology Project for the American Civil Liberties Union. Snowden remains in Russia after President Vladimir Putin granted him temporary asylum.

The ACLU said it has been working with Snowden for several weeks and is helping him, at his request, to "ensure that he receives appropriate legal advice and representation. The group believes Snowden started an important dialogue about the NSA's programs, and said it  has "long held the view that leaks to the press in the public interest should not be prosecutable under the nation’s espionage laws.”