After a week of bombshell revelations regarding U.S. spy agency the NSA, the newspaper The Guardian has revealed its source. The man claiming to have leaked all of the information is Edward Snowden, a 29-year old employee of Booz Allen, which does contracting for the government in many capacities.

The 12.5 minute video interview with Snowden is well worth your time, as there are many facets worth breaking down, including why he decided to risk his entire life in order to be a whistleblower.

Most shocking, perhaps, is the power that he claims to have had.

At one point he says: "I had full access to the full rosters of everyone working at the NSA, the entire intelligence community, and undercover assets all around the world."

Earlier he claims: "Any analyst at any time can target anyone ... I, sitting at my desk, certainly have the authorities to wiretap anyone — from you or your accountant, to a federal judge, to even the President."

And around the 10:30 mark, he makes the shocking claim: 'If I had just wanted to harm the U.S., you could shut down the surveillance system in an afternoon, but that's not my intention."

We eagerly await confirmation or a rejection that a 29-year old at an outside firm had the power he claims to have had.

Read the whole interview here >