The civil lawsuit, filed on Tuesday, claims that Snowden violated these agreements by not sending a draft of the book to the spy agencies for review – and presumably redaction – before publication. It also alleges that the whistleblower’s public speeches on “intelligence-related matters” violated the agreements.

Rather than pull the book from the shelves, the government wants to pocket all the earnings from its sale.

“Intelligence information should protect our nation, not provide personal profit,” said Zachary Terwilliger, US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This lawsuit will ensure that Edward Snowden receives no monetary benefits from breaching the trust placed in him.”

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