NSA: Edward Snowden leaks are ‘cataclysmic’

It seems the National Security Agency is still trying to determine exactly what documents (now totaling in the millions) former NSA contractor Edward Snowden stole.

Speaking earlier this week, former NSA contractor Snowden’s disclosures have been “cataclysmic” for the eavesdropping agency, Richard Ledgett, who leads a task force responding to the leaks, said in a rare interview at NSA’s Fort Meade headquarters.

“Any time you trust people, there is always a chance that someone will betray you,” he said.

The NSA is reportedly investigating the number of files Snowden downloaded when he left the NSA for Hong Kong and later for Russia. The agency reportedly did not have any tracking features active at the site, making it nearly impossible to know the exact number of files Snowden took with him.

The lack of tracking could leave NSA officials with less-than-desired leverage should President Barack Obama seek to offer Snowden amnesty. Snowden is currently residing in Russia under a one-year amnesty offered by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin has repeatedly denied U.S. requests to extradite Snowden, raising tension between the two countries.

Speaking in regards to the NSA’s controversial surveillance program, Ledgett said he fully supported a policy of utilizing every possible tool to track various forms of communications.

Ledgett made no apologies for what many see as overly aggressive NSA monitoring. He noted that the U.S. government’s intelligence taskings to the agency run to 36,000 pages, and said its activities take place within a “box” of U.S. laws and policies.

“We’ll color in every square millimeter of that box,” he said, implying the NSA will use its legal authorities to the fullest extent possible.