Maher emphasized that he didn’t disagree with Snowden’s role in igniting the NSA debate. Maher: Snowden sounds 'bats—-'

Liberal comic Bill Maher told journalist Glenn Greenwald he is with him on his reporting of the National Security Agency, but argued that former NSA contractor Edward Snowden “says something totally bats—-” whenever he speaks.

“He reminds me a lot of [former Rep.] Ron Paul. I agree with what he says, I nod along and then he says something totally bats—-,” Maher said Friday on his HBO program, “Real Time with Bill Maher.”


In a satellite interview with Greenwald, Maher pressed him on Snowden’s ability to articulate his intentions for releasing classified documents on the the NSA surveillance program.

“I also respect Edward Snowden, obviously this debate wouldn’t be happening without Edward Snowden, but I was wondering if you agree with me that every time he opens his mouth, he also says something completely nuts,” Maher said.

Maher cited a couple of quotes from Snowden including that the surveillance programs were “never about terrorism,” but rather “social control and diplomatic manipulation.”

“Well that’s crazy,” Maher said. “They were about stopping terrorism, they may have gone too far, but everybody in the government isn’t out to get you.”

He asked Greenwald whether it was nuts that Snowden also said the government can go back in time and “scrutinize every decision you’ve ever made, every friend you’ve ever discussed something with.”

“What’s nuts is the fact that you think that’s nuts,” Greenwald replied.

Greenwald noted that the stories that have emerged from the information provided by Snowden have had nothing to do with the government gathering information on terrorists, but instead foreign leaders of allies and economic summits in Brazil.

Greenwald continued to defend Snowden saying he’s just “an ordinary person.”

“He’s a 29 year old, who’s not a trained politician, he doesn’t have aides whispering in his ear what he should say. He’s not adept at that, that’s what makes him so impressive. It was an act of conscience that he stepped forward as an ordinary person,” Greenwald said.

Maher emphasized that he didn’t disagree with Snowden’s role in igniting the debate on the NSA, but repeated that he disagrees with the credibility of Snowden’s comments on the government’s intentions.

“When he says, ‘They know every friend you’ve ever discussed something with,’ we’ll just have to agree to disagree on what’s f—-ing nuts,” Maher said.