Ruppersberger: Snowden a Traitor

Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger told reporters Monday that the actions of NSA contractor turned so-called whistleblower Eric Snowden amount to treason.

"Snowden turned his back on his country. I believe he's a traitor and it really upsets me when people call him a hero,” Ruppersberger said, according to a report by WBAL radio.

Snowden is still believed to be in a Moscow Airport awaiting an asylum offer from another country.

I think the government is going to launch an investigation,” Snowden said in a June 6 interview with the Guardiannewspaper that was released Monday. “I think they’re going to say I’ve created grave crimes, that I violated the espionage act. I think they’re going to say I’ve aided our enemies.”

Last month, Snowden, a former contractor with the National Security Agency spoke to the British newspaper and revealed that the U.S. spy agency was collecting the cell phone data of American citizens.

Ruppersberger said Snowden’s leaks damage the security of the United States.

"It's very serious," he said in the WBAL report.  "It's telling the bad guys how to attack us and how to avoid intelligence."