A “friction” takes form when a person vows loyalty to both the U.S. Constitution and to the federal government, Edward Snowden wrote on Tuesday, adding that he continued to believe he had chosen the right path.

“When you first go on duty at CIA headquarters, you raise your hand and swear an oath — not to government, not to the agency, not to secrecy,” the former NSA contractor wrote in a piece published on The Intercept. “You swear an oath to the Constitution. So there’s this friction, this emerging contest between the obligations and values that the government asks you to uphold, and the actual activities that you’re asked to participate in.”