Trump says he is considering pardon for leaker Edward Snowden

By Raphael Satter

 

FILE PHOTO: Edward Snowden speaks via video link during a news conference in New York City, U.S. September 14, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he is considering a pardon for Edward Snowden, the former U.S. National Security Agency contractor - now living in Russia - whose spectacular leaks shook the U.S. intelligence community in 2013.

 

The Republican president's comments followed an interview Trump gave to the New York Post this week in which he said of Snowden that "there are a lot of people that think that he is not being treated fairly" by U.S. law enforcement.

 

"I'm going to start looking at it," Trump told reporters about a possible pardon, speaking at a news conference at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club.

 

U.S. authorities for years have wanted Snowden returned to the United States to face a criminal trial on espionage charges brought in 2013.

 

Snowden fled the United States and was given asylum in Russia after he leaked a trove of secret files in 2013 to news organizations that revealed vast domestic and international surveillance operations carried out by the NSA.

 

Snowden's Russian lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, told RIA news agency the United States should not simply pardon him, but should drop all possible prosecutions against Snowden as he had not commited any crimes.

 

"He was acting not only in the interest of the American citizens, but in the interest of all the humankind," Kucherena said.

 

Trump's softening stance toward Snowden represents a sharp reversal. Shortly after the leaks, Trump expressed hostility toward Snowden, calling him "a spy who should be executed."

 

Trump said on Saturday he thinks Americans on both the political left and the right are divided on Snowden.

 

"It seems to be a split decision," Trump told reporters. "Many people think he should be somehow treated differently. And other people think he did very bad things."

 

DOMESTIC SPYING

Some civil libertarians have praised Snowden for revealing the extraordinary scope of America's digital espionage operations including domestic spying programs that senior U.S. officials had publicly insisted did not exist.

 

But such a move would horrify many in the U.S. intelligence community, some of whose most important secrets were exposed. Trump has harshly criticized past leaders of the U.S. intelligence community and FBI, and on Thursday took aim at the bureau's current director Christopher Wray, his own appointee.

 

The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit last September against Snowden, arguing that the memoir he published last year, "Permanent Record," violated non-disclosure agreements.

 

The Justice Department said Snowden published the book without submitting it to intelligence agencies for review, adding that speeches given by Snowden also violated nondisclosure agreements.

 

Trump's use of his executive clemency powers including pardons has often benefited allies and well-connected political figures.

 

Last month he commuted the sentence of his longtime friend and adviser Roger Stone, sparing him from prison after he was convicted of lying under oath to lawmakers investigating Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election to boost Trump's candidacy.

 

(Reporting by Raphael Satter; Additional reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin in Moscow; Editing by Daniel Wallis, Will Dunham and Frances Kerry)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-08-17

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

 

That’s our Donald!pandering to the younger voters and trying to descredit the institutions that have kept us safe over the years imo he’s a wonderfull asset to anyone who wants to weaken America 

Excellent news, I hope he does it before November.

It's election time and let's us no be surprise of any rabbits, as strange as the may seems, that either candidate will be pulling out of their hats at any time to insure a better chances at the polls...

1 hour ago, Tug said:

That’s our Donald!pandering to the younger voters and trying to descredit the institutions that have kept us safe over the years imo he’s a wonderfull asset to anyone who wants to weaken America 

Your beloved “institutions” broke the law, all Snowden did was expose them and that rightfully so! 

The Traitor shows his true intentions once again

My guess is that a Trump pardon for Snowden would be an attempt to show even-handedness in exercising the pardoning power.  That would be just another lie, of course, but I can't think why else Trump would do it.  Unless he wants to stick it to the intelligence community in particular.

1 minute ago, cmarshall said:

Unless he wants to stick it to the intelligence community in particular.

That would be my take on it. They have been out to get him since he was elected, IMO.

But.....But he's not one of his criminal cronies,what's in

it for Donald.

regards Worgeordie

GOOD!

A post with mis-representation of a politician have been removed.   Please stick to the proper names and proper spelling, not doing so is trolling and will result in your post removed.  

 

47 minutes ago, pacovl46 said:

Your beloved “institutions” broke the law, all Snowden did was expose them and that rightfully so! 

The dudes a traitor imo it’s a no no to put Americans at risk and he is undermining our institutions and democracy 

Exposing illegal American spying was a great service to the world.

 

Whatever you think of Trump is irrelevant. A pardon would be a feather in any President's cap.

1 minute ago, mtls2005 said:

He doesn't have any principles except doing what he thinks is best for Donald Trump.

2 minutes ago, stevenl said:

He doesn't have any principles except doing what he thinks is best for Donald Trump.

 

Someone is advocating for snowden's pardon. Other than putin I cannot honestly figure out who it might be?

 

Nor can I figure out how this helps him at all, and after all, that's all he really cares about, himself.

1 minute ago, mtls2005 said:

 

Someone is advocating for snowden's pardon. Other than putin I cannot honestly figure out who it might be?

 

Nor can I figure out how this helps him at all, and after all, that's all he really cares about, himself.

I am going to go with Kim Kardashian.   She's been pretty influential with him.   

 

9 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

 

Someone is advocating for snowden's pardon. Other than putin I cannot honestly figure out who it might be?

 

Nor can I figure out how this helps him at all, and after all, that's all he really cares about, himself.

Could be anyone who wants to eliminate the 'deep state'. What has Steve Bannon said about Snowden?

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Excellent news, I hope he does it before November.

Exactly. 

All part and parcel of taking down the Deep State. 

 

MAGA 

Attention getting, misdirection, and distracting public away from more important current issues.

Would Trump issue a pardon? If he did, Snowden would lose any 5th amendment rights and would have to spill any beans he might still hold if put under oath

I'd go for commutation same as he gave his buddy Roger Stone. Avoids jail and keeps mouth shut.

Is Snowden getting a pardon "justice"? We are talking about Trump, you know. One of those big words he does not know the meaning of

32 minutes ago, Tug said:

The dudes a traitor imo it’s a no no to put Americans at risk and he is undermining our institutions and democracy 

Sorry, are you talking about Snowden, or Trump?

14 minutes ago, stevenl said:

He doesn't have any principles except doing what he thinks is best for Donald Trump.

Or in the alternative, what is best for Putin.

Getting Snowden back to the US under a Trump pardon might help Trump's re-election which could benefit Putin, ie., further degradation of US intelligence agency operations. 

As with Stone, Trump now says that Snowden, according to "a lot of people" (usually translated as 'Trump'), he is not being treated fairly, ie., by the "Trump-haters Clapper and Comey (even though they hold no government positions-part of the anti-Trump deep state alleged by Trump?).

Several Republican leaders have expressed support for a Snowden pardon, ie., Paul Rand.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/08/trump-look-very-stringly-pardon-edward-snowden.html

 

What about Julian Assange ?

The former USSR, now Russia, eventually pardoned its dissidents, some of whom had sought refuge in the USA.

 

It is the time for the former USA, now USSA, to do the same.

 

Snowden simply denounced (some of) the crimes committed by US spying agencies, and should be rewarded for that, instead of being persecuted.

 

1 minute ago, Brunolem said:

The former USSR, now Russia, eventually pardoned its dissidents, some of whom had sought refuge in the USA.

 

It is the time for the former USA, now USSA, to do the same.

 

Snowden simply denounced (some of) the crimes committed by US spying agencies, and should be rewarded for that, instead of being persecuted.

 

 

So you're saying this is part of some grand reconcilliation scheme conceived by trump? And that he will pardon many, many others? Reality Winner for example.

 

We like to say we treat whistle-blowers with reverence. Maybe on paper, in reality, not so much. I mean that's why snowden fled rather than work the normal channels.

 

It's a long trek from advocating execution (2014) to a pardon (2020). And why now? Has something changed?

 

And why hasn't trump dismantled the "deep state"? Sheesh, he's had like three plus years.

 

 

 

CIA FBI NSA all corrupt

bigly.

As well as local police

& court system.

Blue ISIS swamp.

1 hour ago, Tug said:

The dudes a traitor imo it’s a no no to put Americans at risk and he is undermining our institutions and democracy 

Whistleblower: a person who releases one or a limited amount of secret documents about one case that needs public attention.

Traitor : releasing just all the millions of secret documents that you can, "just because you can". Not to expose just one case, but just to blow up the whole system.

 

In the old times Snowden (and that other traitor who was pardoned by Obama) they would be shot or hanged. 

 

Now they are pardoned to curry flavor (favor?) with young voters. I sure hope Thailand never will adopt to this New Normal of liberal western standards!

Trump's softening stance toward Snowden represents a sharp reversal. Shortly after the leaks, Trump expressed hostility toward Snowden, calling him "a spy who should be executed".

Thought Trump hates whistleblowers. Sudden change of heart if he can milk this for his political advantage. So typical of this sad man. 

2 hours ago, worgeordie said:

But.....But he's not one of his criminal cronies,what's in

it for Donald.

regards Worgeordie

The usual. He is trolling his supporters.

 

lock him up, shoot him, hang him, throw away the key, traitor.

 

pardon him, jolly good.