Nor did Snowden’s breach begin with him handing over classified documents to the Guardian

13 Nor did Snowden’s breach begin with him handing over classified documents to the Guardian reporters in Hong Kong in June 2013 or, for that matter, in the eleven days prior to his meeting with journalists in 2013. He had, as the NSA quickly determined begun illicitly copying documents in the late summer of 2012. Such an enterprise does not emerge from thin air. Even if he had managed to elude American intelligence from late May to early June 2013, he could not hide all the history that led to his decision to come to Hong Kong. There had to be an envelope of reality surrounding it, including Snowden’s motivation, associates, movements, finances, and his activities prior to his fleeing to Hong Kong. What was missing was not just Snowden’s first 11 days in Hong Kong but the entire context of the alleged crime. I now needed to fill in that envelope of reality in America. I left Hong Kong for New York on June 2, 2014 two days after my meeting with the former official of the consulate. HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_020165