The satirist traveled to Moscow to talk to the NSA leaker for Sunday’s “Last Week Tonight.” The interview was at times funny and serious.
In an 18-minute segment, Oliver questioned the former NSA contractor, now living in exile in Moscow, about whether journalists can appropriately handle the volume and sensitivity of the information he leaked; whether his actions – and potential consequences – were worth the discussion he provoked; and the access the NSA has to private photographs of American citizens – like private photos of men's penises.
Snowden said that there was "no program named the dick pic program, the bad news is they are still collecting everyone's data, including dick pics."
Before the interview, Oliver worried about whether Snowden, who was running significantly late, would turn up at all. "Do you think he's coming?" Oliver asks his producer, before adding: "Because my argument is: why would he?"
Snowden eventually did arrive – and Oliver asked the former NSA contractor what he missed about America.
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