The NSA leaks seem to express a national security state that is immune to all but the most terrible publicity. Yet it seems like the escalation of power and arrogance means that said national security state is generating exactly that level of terrible publicity, demonstrating a cynically cavalier attitude so extreme it is actually keeping the situation in the lime light.
And of course we know that which nation engages in what exact tactic is somewhat beside the point. The Americans would say "we wouldn't force the destruction of hard drives" with what is now the standard, the standard, kind of disingenuous secret caveat; "no, WE would steal the data in the middle of the night" or "we would have the courts first declare the reporters to be non-reporters and then throw them Guantanamo" or whatever.