http://finance.yahoo.com/news/edward-snowdens-father-doesnt-trust-231329276.html

"The thing we have been most concerned about is that the people who have influence over Ed will try to use him for their own means," Mattie Fein, the wife and spokeswoman of Lon Snowden's attorney, told WSJ . "These guys have their own agenda here and we aren't so sure that it has Ed's best interest in mind."

"She is referring to Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange."

It will be ideal if Obama could give him a whistle blower status but that is not going to happen based on his recent interviews. It's unfortunate but I can understand because he made unnecessary disclosures about US foreign intelligence. Not sure why he had to do that? At that time I got suspicious of intentions too. Maybe he was connected to China or Russia, I thought. Anyways, a few years in prison he can't avoid, I think it is better for him to come back and hope Obama and his administration could show leniency to him. I think that is the best way to solve this issue.

In response Snowden issued this statement rebutting those remarks:

It has come to my attention that news organizations seeking information regarding my current situation have, due to the difficulty in contacting me directly, been misled by individuals associated with my father into printing false claims about my situation.

I would like to correct the record: I've been fortunate to have legal advice from an international team of some of the finest lawyers in the world, and to work with journalists whose integrity and courage are beyond question. There is no conflict amongst myself and any of the individuals or organizations with whom I have been involved.

Neither my father, his lawyer Bruce Fein, nor his wife Mattie Fein represent me in any way. None of them have been or are involved in my current situation, and this will not change in the future. I ask journalists to understand that they do not possess any special knowledge regarding my situation or future plans, and not to exploit the tragic vacuum of my father's emotional compromise for the sake of tabloid news.

Thank you.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/15/edward-snowden-media-misled_n_3764560.html

I wish I knew journalists who's integrity and courage are beyond question. Shoot, I would even settle for knowing one or more of the finest lawyers in the world. But, alas.

Best regards,

RA1

Note that his characterization of journalists is an absolute, but of lawyers merely a comparative.

The latter lets the bar [sic! ] be set as low as required.

I wonder if he had that parse in mind when he wrote the disclaimer? I know of no attorney who is beyond questions.

Otherwise, duly noted.

Best regards,

RA1

Unlikely.

(Mandatory blather re: if I were in his situation etc etc)

But it does suggest his (1) intelligence and (2) compose, in the face of all this assault:

Which on my own instinct rather than analysis I think means something.

What, I tell you next.