Trump says he's considering Snowden pardon

[left-of-center2012]

Source: The Hill

President Trump said Saturday he is considering a pardon for Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor who was charged with espionage in 2013 after disclosing a trove of documents about U.S. surveillance programs.

Snowden fled the U.S. and gained asylum in Russia after releasing a cache of classified documents that exposed the wide scope of surveillance inside the U.S. intelligence community. Federal prosecutors also charged him with theft of government property.

"I’m going to look at it," Trump said during a news conference at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J. "I’m not that aware of the Snowden situation, but I’m going to start looking at it."

"It seems to be a split decision. There are many people think that he should be somehow treated differently and other people think he did very bad things," he added.

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/512209-trump-says-hes-considering-snowden-pardon

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Trump's remarks marked a significant shift in his views of Snowden. Following the NSA leaks in 2013, Trump called Snowden a "terrible threat" and a "terrible traitor." He also suggested executing the whistleblower, saying, "you know what we used to do in the good old days when we were a strong country — you know what we used to do to traitors, right?”

[CaptYossarian]

1. He hasn't heard of Benedict Arnold.

[joshdawg]

2. Even money says trump will pardon this traitor...............

I mean, why not? One traitor pardoning another traitor. Birds of a feather and all that.

November third cannot get here soon enough.
I so wanna see trump in an orange jumpsuit, it will match his skin color.

[NCjack]

3. Why would we want Snowden back? A trial would be good. A pardon is wrong.

[Baitball Blogger]

16. Maybe, so Russia can encourage other Snowden types?

They are showing their power and reach.

[CBHagman]

4. Yet another way of spitting in the faces of intel professionals...

...and flinging roses at Russia. Everyone I know who spent his life working for an intelligence agency is appalled by Trump, and I won't get started their opinions of Snowden.

[Cirque du So-What]

5. Perhaps the intelligence community will be sufficiently pissed

to start leaking dirt for public consumption.

[Botany]

6. Could this be because Snowden helped with Wikileaks and the Russians and Trump used wikileaks to ...

... hurt HRC?

We really will need a Presidential Crimes Commission.

[TomVilmer]

7. I do not care who give such a pardon and why...

... but Edward Snowden deserves protection and support for exposing worldwide illegal wiretapping.

[mysteryowl]

15. +1

[Layzeebeaver]

17. Agreed

It's sad that we need leakers and whistleblowers to keep a government in check - since 2000 there have been fewer and fewer proper exercises in effective congressional oversight aligned to the constitutional rights of citizens.

I do not condone espionage of our civilian population - nor using domestic corporations or foreign allies (The U.K. in this instance) to do it for us.

Snowden was/is a pawn in a much larger chess game. But he was very brave to expose the wrong doing, IMO.

I'd rather have Biden pardon him in conjunction with a serious overhaul of congressional intelligence oversight.

[Ron Obvious]

18. Damn right! The man is absolutely a hero and whistleblower

Merely despised here for partisan reasons because the government abuses he brought to light happened to occur during a Democratic presidential administration.

It's a sad state of affairs.

[Jillgirl]

24. Agree. nt

[PatSeg]

8. "I'm going to look at it."

That means if Democrats are against a pardon, Snowden gets a pardon. He doesn't care about facts or details, he just cares about whatever the opposition is for or against.

[3Hotdogs]

9. Snowden exposed that NSA officials were lying to Congress.

He deserves the medal that Limpball got.

[BusyBeingBest]

10. What more proof does anyone need as to who he works for?

All that screeching about whistleblowers these past couple years. Unless it's a "whistleblower" that sides with Russia.

[jrthin]

19. If Snowden weren't a Russian asset, Russian would not

have allowed him to stay in Russian, I don't believe.

[madashelltoo]

11. He'll say and do anything

To make us talk about anything other than COVID-19 or the Post Office.

[Thekaspervote]

12. He probably thinks he can get him to spy for him!

[onetexan]

28. That's my suspicion - first thing that came to mind. Anybody useful to him he will do favors for.

[Sapient Donkey]

31. If Snowden is pardoned, then he wouldn't be allowed near anything of importance

Last edited Mon Aug 17, 2020, 03:29 AM - Edit history (1)

After reading his book and watching/listening to various interviews, I don't really buy into the guy being some sort of altruistic do-gooder who was exposing something he saw as awful. Maybe his goal was to sell information, or he was paid by some other government to do it, or maybe he just wanted attention and notoriety... Either way, I think he was in it for himself. I base this mostly on how he speaks and how he explains things. I also don't buy into the idea he is like a legitimate cyber security genius. I think he's an average IT guy who happened to get an interesting job in which he stumbled across some stuff because of poor security practices of our supposed elite spy agencies.

Whether or what he did was justified/good/bad/whatever is another discussion. I haven't fully formed any strong opinions either way on that. I mostly just judge him harshly and can't really take him seriously when he speaks. I couldn't see him being of much use to anyone these days.

[marble falls]

13. Its not a pardon, its witness tampering.

[flying_wahini]

14. Reality Winner is still locked up for disclosing documents that proved Putin was involved.

Time to let her go.

[hydrolastic]

23. Job for Biden on his second day in office

Only because he is super busy on the first day.

[Dopers_Greed]

20. How can Snowden be pardoned?

He fled to Russia and never faced charges.

[Eugene]

22. Trump can pardon the alleged criminal acts. Richard Nixon was pardoned

before he ever could be charged.

[PSPS]

21. Another "Do me a favor, though" thing. "Get me something on Biden."

[Mr.Bill]

25. Putin has prabably extracted all the information that Snowden has

so he has no use for him anymore.

[JohnnyRingo]

27. Moscow must have grown tired of supporting him.

Putin is ready to send him home and needs a pardon.

[Schmice3]

29. The real reason he would pardon Snowden. OCTOBER SURPRISE

He will issue a pardon and Putin will deliver him to Trump at which time he will be subpoenaed to testify before a kangaroo republican panel. He will be held in custody without bail because they will argue that he's a flight risk. They will whitewash Roger Stone's and in fact make him and Trump the real heroes.

At the trumped up hearing, the republicans will flash and publish a bunch of incendiary and suspect documents to slime Biden. Much it will be doctored or Kremlin approved. Biden Jr. will be indicted by the DOJ as will FBI agents and Obama administration officials.

People will flood the streets and our militarized police and federal agents will "dominate" the scene. The Patriot Act will allow for the State of Emergency.

[Sgent]

30. Unlike Manning

Snowden didn't make disclosures through mass uploads -- he worked through the NYT to only disclose items that were newsworthy and protect US assets.

I don't know what he has done while in Russia, but am definitely in favor of a pardon for his crimes related to NSA / CIA disclosure to the media -- he deserves it more IMHO than Manning did.

[LudwigPastorius]

32. Trump's just throwing shit up against the wall to see what sticks.

The innocence or guilt of Snowden is incidental.

Trump would retroactively pardon Timothy McVeigh, or denounce Mother Theresa as pure evil, if he thought it would give him a bump in the polls.

[olddad65]

33. After you read this, you will know Trump will stoop to anything.

[RhodeIslandOne]

34. Snowden is a cause celeb that gets the internet bros pants tighter than Pornhub n/m

[betsuni]

35. Imagine being as dumb as Snowden, who thinks he's smarter than everyone else, concluding that

China and Russia are better, less corrupt and purer countries than the U.S.!

Everybody has a sad when they grow up and realize that mommy and daddy have lied to you, but ... come on.

[kentuck]

36. If there is a traitor, or an outlaw, or a criminal out there that needs a pardon...

Just let Donald Know.

He is just naturally attracted to conspiratorial, criminal minds.