US sues Edward Snowden for publishing memoirs and demands revenue

The US Department of Justice is filing a civil lawsuit against whistleblower Snowden over the publication of his memoir. According to the US, Snowden is violating non-disclosure agreements. The US demands all revenue from the book.

In the book Permanent Record, which will be officially published on Tuesday, Edward Snowden describes his own life. His work for the CIA and the NSA is also discussed. According to the US Department of Justice, Snowden signed non-disclosure agreements while working there and has now violated them with the publication of the book.

According to the indictment, Snowden did not send the book to the services for inspection prior to publication. The whistleblower is also accused of lecturing on intelligence matters, also violating nondisclosure agreements.

The US is claiming all income from the book’s publication. The publisher has also been sued, but that was only done to ensure that no money is transferred to Snowden, the ministry said. The US makes no attempt to ban the publication of the book. Such a demand would also not stand, because it goes against the First Amendment, which includes freedom of the press.

The new civil lawsuit is separate from Snowden’s criminal charges. After Snowden made his NSA revelations in 2013, he was charged with espionage by the government. Snowden never stood trial for seeking asylum in Russia. On Monday, Snowden said in an interview with CBS that he would consider returning to the United States if he gets a fair trial.