Booz Allen fires employee involved in NSA leaks

Booz Allen Hamilton announced Tuesday it has fired Edward Snowden, the contractor employee who admitted leaking details about classified National Security Agency programs to reporters.

The company said Snowden was fired June 10 because he violated company policies, including its code of ethics.

“News reports that this individual has claimed to have leaked classified information are shocking, and if accurate, this action represents a grave violation of the code of conduct and core values of our firm,” a company release stated. “We will work closely with our clients and authorities in their investigation of this matter.”

Snowden, 29, came forward over the weekend as the source of the disclosures, including information about NSA phone-records monitoring and Internet surveillance. Snowden, who earned a salary of $122,000 and had worked for the company for fewer than three months, previously worked as a technical assistant for the CIA.

Booz Allen is one of the top 20 government contractors in terms of contract awards, according to data maintained by USASpending.gov. In fiscal 2012, the company earned more than $4 billion in prime contract awards.

The leaks and the ensuing uproar have touched off a debate about the role of contractors in national security efforts. About 21 percent of the 4.9 million people with “confidential and secret” security clearances work for private outside contractors, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told a Senate subcommittee the Pentagon would review all private contractors in the wake of the leaks and due to budget pressures.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)

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