WASHINGTON — NSA leaker Edward Snowden waltzed out of the transit area of a Moscow airport yesterday after Russia offered him asylum for a year, setting off a furious reaction in DC.
Presidential press secretary Jay Carney said the administration was "extremely disappointed" by the move and called into question whether President Obama would be attending a planned one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the fall.
"We have a wide range of interests with the Russians, and we are evaluating the utility of a summit," Carney said.
He said Russia didn't provide advance notice of its decision.
After nearly six weeks at the airport, Snowden left in a taxi for a "safe location," said his Moscow-based lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena.
"He's the most wanted man on planet Earth, and he's wanted by an enormous country," Kucherena added.
The United States has repeatedly demanded that Russia hand over Snowden, the former US National Security Agency contractor charged with violating the Espionage Act by leaking secrets about surveillance programs.
"Russia's action today is a disgrace and a deliberate effort to embarrass the United States," fumed Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), calling it a "slap in the face."
"We need to deal with the Russia that is, not the Russia we might wish for," he added., calling for expanding NATO to include the former Russian republic of Georgia.
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said, "Russia has stabbed us in the back, and each day that Mr. Snowden is allowed to roam free is another twist of the knife."
Schumer called Snowden a "coward who has chosen to run," and said Obama should try to move the upcoming G-20 summit from St. Petersburg, Russia.
Obama came under fire yesterday for the "reset" his administration achieved with Russia at the start of his term, in a diplomatic détente orchestrated by then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. The brash move is certain to strain relations with Putin, who has already tangled with the White House over the conflict in Syria and a host of issues.
"Putin knows how to play hardball, so should we," said House Foreign Affairs chairman Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.).
geoff.earle@nypost.com
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