US ‘may never know the extent of leaks’

WASHINGTON

AP Photo

United States officials have admitted that the government may never fully know the extent of confidential documents leaked by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.

According to a New York Times report, Snowden has managed to further cover his tracks since the investigation was launched into the most scandalous intelligence leak of recent times and despite spending “hundreds of man-hours” trying to reconstruct the stolen data, the extent of the leaks remain unknown.

“They’ve spent hundreds and hundreds of man-hours trying to reconstruct everything he obtained and they still don’t know all of what he took,” a senior administration official told the New York Times. “I know that seems crazy, but everything with this is crazy.”

A presidential advisory committee submitted a report on the leaks to U.S. President Barack Obama, but the report itself will not be released until later on next month. While releasing the report, Obama will also announce which advice he will follow and which he will reject to comply with.

Meanwhile, in an interview released on Dec. 13, an NSA official said he would be open to cutting an amnesty deal with Snowden if he agreed to further release secret documents. Rick Ledgett, who heads the NSA’s task force investigating the damage from the Snowden leaks, told CBS television’s “60 Minutes” program that some but not all of his colleagues share his view, Agence France-Presse reported.

“My personal view is, yes, it’s worth having a conversation about a possible deal,” said Ledgett, according to excerpts from the interview that was set to air yesterday.