Obama: I don't see Snowden as a patriot

Aamer Madhani and David Jackson | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Obama: Snowden not a patriot President Obama says he does not view NSA leaker Edward Snowden as a patriot for leaking classified documents.

The president says leaks unfairly gave impression that the government was spying on its citizens.

Obama announced a plan for greater oversight of the surveillance programs.

Immigration%2C al-Qaeda%2C new Fed chairman also were addressed in the news conference.

WASHINGTON -- President Obama said Friday that former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden is not a patriot for leaking details of previously secret U.S. surveillance programs.

"No I don't think Mr. Snowden was a patriot," said Obama, who added that Snowden has been charged with three felonies for the leaks.

The president's comments came in a 50-minute news conference at the White House, one day before he sets off for a week-long vacation on Martha's Vineyard

Obama said he called for a review of the secret surveillance programs before details of documents Snowden leaked to reporters were publicized earlier this summer.

There were other avenues available for someone "whose conscience felt stirred," Obama said. He said Snowden's leaks, which have come out in dribs and drabs, have unfairly set the impression that the U.S. government is spying on its citizens.

But the president said Americans do have real questions about the surveillance programs and acknowledged the leaks have spurred a national conversation about the government's methods.

"There's no doubt that Mr. Snowden's leaks triggered a much more rapid and passionate response," Obama said.

Obama opened his press conference with the announcement of a plan for greater oversight of the intelligence community's surveillance programs, a move he said that will help strike a balance between protecting Americans safety and their privacy.

Obama: More surveillance info to be made public President Obama says more information about controversial domestic and foreign surveillance programs will be made public. He says both members of the intelligence community and privacy advocates "are patriots." (Aug. 9)

He also confirmed that former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and Federal Reserve vice chairman Janet Yellen are among the contenders he is considering to replace Ben Bernanke at the Federal Reserve when his term expires at the end of January.

Obama acknowledged he recently defended Summers, who has come under attack from some liberals, during a closed-door meeting with House Democrats. But he suggested that his defense of Summers does not mean he has settled on him to be the next Fed chairman.

Obama also weighed in on the strength of the terrorist group al-Qaeda, which as recently as May he referred to as being "on its heels." In recent days, his administration has closed embassies in several countries in the Muslim world as a result of intelligence suggesting that al-Qaeda may be preparing to strike American interests overseas.

"Core al Qaeda is on its heels, has been decimated," Obama said. "But what I also said was that al Qaeda and other extremists have metastasized into regional groups that can pose significant dangers."

The president said he holds hopes that the GOP-controlled House will agree to pass legislation overhauling the nation's immigration laws. If passed, it would be a monumental legislative victory for Obama. Though it won broad support in the Senate, it is facing a tough climb in the GOP-controlled House.

Obama seemed to be daring House Republicans to put the Senate legislation to a vote. If they did, he said he was confident it would pass.

"The problem is internal Republican caucus politics," Obama said. "And that's what the American people don't want us to be worrying about. Don't worry about your Washington politics. Solve problems."