Greenwald Claims Russian Officials Said Putin Couldn't Trade Snowden Due to Cultural Identity
"The idea that Russia gives refuge to Western dissident, to whistleblowers, to leakers, to dissidents, is very embedded in the Russian identity. It's like a very Russian thing to do. Had Putin given Snowden back, just handed Snowden back to the United States, huge numbers of Russians would have been angry and would have been like, this is not— this is a very un-Russian thing to do."
About this episode
Glenn Greenwald hosted his Thursday Night Q&A from his newly redesigned studio, fielding subscriber questions on the New York City Democratic primary earthquakes, Tucker Carlson's evolving worldview, and the roots of Western animosity toward Russia. The episode opened with extended analysis of Tuesday's shocking primary results where three DSA-aligned candidates backed by Mayor Zohran Mondani decisively defeated Democratic establishment incumbents, including Dan Goldman who lost by 30 points to Brad Lander. Greenwald argued the victories signal not just anger toward AIPAC and Israel, but broader frustration with a political class disconnected from working-class priorities and obsessed with foreign wars. He noted that two winners, Claire Valdez and Daryliza Chevalier, represent rare left-wing opposition to Ukraine war funding and called AIPAC's brand so poisonous it now operates through shell PACs. Greenwald then pivoted to praising Tucker Carlson for repeatedly and publicly admitting fundamental errors in his past worldview, including his belief that Islam posed a unique civilizational threat. He contrasted Carlson's candor with figures like Christopher Hitchens who justified ideological shifts without genuine accountability. In the final segment, Greenwald addressed a question about U.S.-Russia hostility by recounting his 2013 trip to Moscow where Russian officials explained why Putin refused to trade Edward Snowden despite substantial U.S. offers, citing both cultural identity and deep institutional hatred between the two nations' security establishments. Greenwald described lingering Cold War animosity and the Russiagate scandal as having injected virulent anti-Russian sentiment into American liberalism that persists today despite being largely discredited.
Key takeaways
- Greenwald revealed Russian officials told him in 2013 that Putin refused to trade Snowden because giving refuge to Western dissidents is embedded in Russian national identity.
- New York City DSA candidates Daryliza Chevalier and Claire Valdez won congressional seats while explicitly or implicitly opposing U.S. funding of the Ukraine war.
- AIPAC has become so toxic within Democratic politics that it now must funnel money through shell PACs to hide its involvement in races.
- Dan Goldman lost his House seat by 30 points to Brad Lander in Tuesday's primary, one of the largest incumbent defeats since Liz Cheney's 2022 loss.
- Tucker Carlson has repeatedly and publicly admitted he was fundamentally wrong about Islam posing a unique violent threat, a core conservative belief for 25 years.
- Greenwald argued the New York primary results reflect not just anger at Israel but broader frustration with a political class prioritizing foreign wars over domestic needs.
- Russian officials cited institutional hatred between American and Russian deep state factions as preventing any Snowden deal even when mutually beneficial.