USG Talking Heads Spinning Edward Snowden as Spy for China

There is no indication that Edward Snowden, who leaked top secret information about NSA data collection to Glenn Greenwald, has any connection with the Chinese government. However, that is not how USG talking heads are spinning it.

Mediaite reports:

Former CIA case officer Bob Baer revealed on CNN Sunday evening that intelligence officials were possibly considering Edward Snowden’s case as Chinese espionage, after Snowden came forward this afternoon from an undisclosed Hong Kong location.

“Hong Kong is controlled by Chinese intelligence,” Baer said. “It’s not an independent part of China at all. I’ve talked to a bunch of people in Washington today, in official positions, and they are looking at this as a potential Chinese espionage case.”

“On the face of it, it looks like it is under some sort of Chinese control, especially with the president meeting the premier today,” Baer said. “You have to ask what’s going on. China is not a friendly country and every aspect of that country is controlled. So why Hong Kong? Why didn’t he go to Sweden? Or, if he really wanted to make a statement, he should have done it on Capitol Hill.”

This is from the Twitter stream of John Schindler, former NSA intelligence officer and currently a professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College:

So at what point is it safe to call Snowden a defector to the PRC? Former CI guy here, gotta ask ... #justchecking
— John Schindler (@20committee) June 9, 2013

Because, let's face it, "defector to ChiComs" sounds less sexy to Right People than "principled whistleblower against evil USG"
— John Schindler (@20committee) June 9, 2013

Right now you don't have to channel James Angleton to have a lot of WTF Qs re Snowden being in PRC given recent badness between DC & Beijing
— John Schindler (@20committee) June 9, 2013

As if on cue, the saga of Edward Snowden, poor little contractor in Hawaii, has gone from SIGINT saga to a classic counterintelligence yarn.
— John Schindler (@20committee) June 9, 2013

Given all this NSA hullabaloo, gonna be on BBC later tonight. Hoping to be interviewed by Nigel Tufnel. Will settle for Derek St Hubbins.
— John Schindler (@20committee) June 9, 2013

Let me repeat, there is no indication at this time that Snowden was a spy for China. And regardless of the reason for Snowden's leaks (and he appears to be nothing more that a whistleblower at this point), the fact of the matter is that he has exposed massive data collection operations by the USG. Something America needed to know about.