The NBC News story posted on SLL February 11 may have been either a trial balloon or an intelligence agency plant to “suggest” to the Russian government how to get back in the good graces of the US government. From Alexander Mercouris at theduran.com:
Russia denies NBC story based on US intelligence sources that Moscow is preparing to hand over Edward Snowden to the US in order to please Donald Trump.
On Friday 10th February 2017 NBC circulated a report the Russian government in order to improve relations with the Trump administration was preparing to hand Edward Snowden over to the US.
The report obviously worried Snowden himself, who tweeted that the report proved that he was not and never had been a Russian agent. That suggests that he took the report seriously.
Snowden should not be worried, since the report is groundless and is clearly a provocation. To see why it is only necessary to look at the NBC report itself, which makes it clear who is behind it
U.S. intelligence has collected information that Russia is considering turning over Edward Snowden as a “gift” to President Donald Trump — who has called the NSA leaker a “spy” and a “traitor” who deserves to be executed.
That’s according to a senior U.S. official who has analyzed a series of highly sensitive intelligence reports detailing Russian deliberations and who says a Snowden handover is one of various ploys to “curry favor” with Trump. A second source in the intelligence community confirms the intelligence about the Russian conversations and notes it has been gathered since the inauguration.
(bold italics added)
It turns out that the story does not originate in Russia. It originates with our old friends the ‘anonymous officials’ of the US intelligence community.
One of these officials claims that the story is based on “intelligence” of “Russian conversations” that the US intelligence community has ‘gathered since the inauguration”. We have no way of knowing at what level these “conversations” took place, assuming they took place at all, but it is inconceivable that the US intelligence community is genuinely informed of discussions within the top level of the Russian leadership – where such a question would be discussed – or if it is that it would publicise the fact by blurting the fact out to NBC.
To continue reading: Russia will not sell Snowden to Trump; here’s why
