[skore]

No, I think this is incredibly clever. Imagine how this release would have looked if the Australian government had thrown a fit and tried to make an example of the USs bad behavior[0].

If you're dealing with a criminal, having a slight upper hand in information while playing it as though you know everything is a proven tool. Like a police interview where an accused gets presented with a crime so you can watch him or her come up with an excuse, which, in turn, might reveal information that you didn't even know before.

In fact, one minister in Germany made a pretty grave statement about how the US behavior was "monstrous". So now I'm kind of waiting for the Snowden story to get to the part where things about Germany are revealed.

[0]It seems like they did the opposite, as they usually do, doubling down in 'Merica adoration. Which is still similarly funny.