Snowden's leaks caused 'tremendous' damage to U.S. security - House panel

By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. House committee issued a scathing report on Thursday accusing National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden of lying about his background, feuding with co-workers and leaking secrets that "caused tremendous damage" to U.S. security. The House of Representatives Intelligence Committee report declared that Snowden was "not a whistleblower" as he has claimed in interviews and that most of the material he stole from NSA outposts was about intelligence and defence programs of great interest to U.S. foreign adversaries. The committee said that while the "full scope" of damage caused by Snowden's disclosures remains unknown, a review of materials he allegedly compromised "makes clear that he handed over secrets that protect American troops overseas and secrets that provide vital defences against terrorists and nation-states." The House Committee's release of the report coincides with the release of "Snowden," a Hollywood movie directed by Oliver Stone, which portrays the former intelligence contractor as a whistleblower and hero.