Two powerful Republican lawmakers upped the ante Sunday in the debate over whether National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden is a whistleblower or a traitor when they suggested that Russia or some other foreign power helped him steal a treasure trove of information.

“This was a thief, who we believe had some help, who stole information the vast majority had nothing to do with privacy,” Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” in an interview. “Our Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines have been incredibly harmed by the data that he has taken with him and we believe now is in the hands of nation-states.”