I'll start in reverse order.

Why now, well, I've been trying for three years to do this

interview. The US government prevented me from doing it by spying on my text messages

and leaking them to the New York Times.

And that spooked the Russian government

into canceling the interview.

So I've been trying to do this, but my country's intel

services were working against me illegally and that enraged me because I'm an American citizen.

I'm 54, I pay my taxes, I obey the law.

And there was no expectation in the America that I grew up in that my government and its Intel services, NSA and CIA, which were always outwardly focused on our foreign enemies, would be turned inward against American citizens.

And I'm shocked by that, and I'm infuriated by that.

And so once I discovered that that was happening,

and I confirmed it was happening,

and they admitted that they did it,

that I was totally determined, monomaniically dedicated

to doing this interview, not simply because I want

to know what Vladimir and Putin is like

and what he thinks about a war that is resetting the world and really gravely

damaging my country's economy but also because they told me I couldn't on the

basis of illegitimate means and for no really clearly stated

justification and I thought that can't stand. I don't I want to live in a free country

I was born in one and I'm going to do whatever small thing I can do to maintain this

...