TIMES.KY

Cayman Islands, Caribbeanand International News
Wednesday, Mar 22, 2023

Trump Raises Edward Snowden Pardon Hopes Four Years After Obama Fail To Do It

Trump says ‘A lot of people think he is not being treated fairly’ as Republican congressman calls for president to pardon exiled NSA whistleblower that protected the American citizens from officials who violated the American constitution. The ACLU tweeted : "Democracy is better off because of Snowden”.

President Trump has been urged to pardon Edward Snowden after reportedly indicating yesterday that he was open to the idea.

The future of the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor was being debated today after Trump told The New York Post he could consider letting Snowden return to the U.S. from Russia without having to face a lengthy prison sentence.

The suggestion not only raised the hopes of pro-Snowden campaigners who have long called for a reprieve, but gained support from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky), who tweeted today that Trump should use his powers to pardon the exiled whistleblower.

Pardoning Snowden, as well as Julian Assange, will mark Trump as a president that protect the people who protected the U.S. constitution, unlike Obama that did just the opposite.

"Employees of the U.S. government violated the Constitution and lied to Congress and the American people about it. Snowden exposed them," Massie tweeted, quickly noted by Snowden himself. "This is bigger than him. If he's punished for his service to the Constitution, there will be more violations of the Constitution, and more lies."

Trump had asked his aides about Snowden in the Oval Office, saying there are "a lot of people that think that he is not being treated fairly."

"I guess the DOJ is looking to extradite him right now?," Trump continued, according to the paper. "It's certainly something I could look at. Many people are on his side, I will say that. I don't know him, never met him. But many people are on his side."

In 2016, president Barack Obama said in an interview with the German newspaper Der Spiegel he was not inclined to issue a pardon for Snowden, saying at the time: "I can't pardon somebody who hasn't gone before a court and presented themselves.

"I think that Snowden raised some legitimate concerns. How he did it was something that did not follow the procedures and practices of our intelligence community."

Three years prior, Snowden's revelations had sparked a global conversation. The former government contractor leaked a trove of documents to journalist Glenn Greenwald and filmmaker Laura Poitras, detailing a vast surveillance apparatus.

The files - published in a variety of newspapers around the world - outlined how nations were amassing huge quantities of data on civilians not suspected of crimes, collected by exploiting technology companies and telecommunications networks.

After traveling from the U.S. to Hong Hong, he fled with the help of whistleblowing site WikiLeaks and ended up in Russia, where he was granted asylum and has lived since. A warrant was issued for Snowden's arrest with charges under the Espionage Act.

Snowden addressed the Trump situation himself via Twitter today.

"The last time we heard a White House considering a pardon was 2016, when the very same Attorney General who once charged me conceded that, on balance, my work in exposing the NSA's unconstitutional system of mass surveillance had been "a public service," he wrote, referencing comments made by former-AG Eric Holder.


In 2016, Holder said he thought Swowden had "performed a public service by raising the debate we engaged in and by the changes that we made."

As reported by The Guardian at the time, Holder did add: "I would say that doing what he did—and the way he did it—was inappropriate and illegal."

Greenwald, who spearheaded much of the initial Snowden coverage, tweeted in support of Snowden being allowed home to the U.S., writing: "What Snowden showed the world was crucial for it to know. He's spent 7 years in exile. He should be pardoned."

The stance was supported by the ACLU, which tweeted Friday: "Democracy is better off because of [Snowden]. As we said four years ago, the president should pardon him."

Last year, Snowden expressed his desire to return to the U.S. but said he would only travel back if he was given assurances that he would face a fair trial.

Speaking in an interview on CBS This Morning, he said: "If I'm gonna spend the rest of my life in prison, the one bottom line demand that we have to agree to is that at least I get a fair trial. And that is the one thing the government has refused to guarantee because they won't provide access to what's called a public interest defense."

Newsletter

Related Articles

TIMES.KY
Close
0:00
0:00
Credit Suisse's Scandalous History Resulted in an Obvious Collapse - It's time for regulators who fail to do their job to be held accountable and serve as an example by being behind bars.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman tours potential migrant housing in Rwanda as asylum deal remains mired in legal challenges
Paris Rioting vs Macron anti democratic law
'Sexual Fantasy' Assignment At US School Outrages Parents
Credit Suisse to borrow $54 billion from Swiss central bank
Russian Hackers Preparing New Cyber Assault Against Ukraine
Jeremy Hunt insists his Budget will get young parents and over-50s back into work
If this was in Tehran, Moscow or Hong Kong
TRUMP: "Standing before you today, I am the only candidate who can make this promise: I will prevent World War III."
Mexican President Claims Mexico is Safer than the U.S.
A brief banking situation report
Lady bites police officer and gets instantly reaction
We are witnessing widespread bank fails and the president just gave a 5 min speech then walked off camera.
Donald Trump's asked by Tucker Carlson question on if the U.S. should support regime change in Russia?.
Silicon Valley Bank exec was Lehman Brothers CFO
In a potential last-ditch effort, HSBC is considering a rescue deal to save Silicon Valley Bank UK from insolvency
BBC Director General, Tim Davie, has apologized, but not resigned, yet, following the disruption of sports programmes over the weekend
Elon Musk Is Planning To Build A Town In Texas For His Employees
The Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse effect is spreading around the world, affecting startup companies across the globe
City officials in Berlin announced on Thursday that all swimmers at public pools will soon be allowed to swim topless
Fitness scam
Market Chaos as USDC Loses Peg to USD after $3.3 Billion Reserves Held by Silicon Valley Bank Closed.
Senator Tom Cotton: If the Mexican Government Won’t Stop Cartels from Killing Americans, Then U.S. Government Should
Banking regulators close SVB, the largest bank failure since the financial crisis
The unelected UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, an immigrant himself, defends new controversial crackdown on illegal migration
Man’s penis amputated by mistake after he’s wrongly diagnosed with a tumour
In a major snub to Downing Street's Silicon Valley dreams, UK chip giant Arm has dealt a serious blow to the government's economic strategy by opting for a US listing
It's the question on everyone's lips: could a four-day workweek be the future of employment?
Is Gold the Ultimate Safe Haven Asset in Times of Uncertainty?
Spain officials quit over trains that were too wide for tunnels...
Don Lemon, a CNN anchor, has provided a list of five areas that he believes the black community needs to address.
Hello. Here is our news digest from London.
Corruption and Influence Buying Uncovered in International Mainstream Media: Investigation Reveals Growing Disinformation Mercenaries
Givenchy Store in New York Robbed of $50,000 in Merchandise
European MP Clare Daly condemns US attack on Nord Stream
Former U.S. President Carter will spend his remaining time at home and receive hospice care instead of medication
Tucker Carlson called Trump a 'demonic force'
US Joins 15 NATO Nations in Largest Space Data Collection Initiative in History
White House: No ETs over the United States
U.S. Jet Shoots Down Flying Object Over Canada
Being a Tiktoker might be expensive…
SpaceX, the private space exploration company, made a significant breakthrough in their mission to reach space.
China's top tech firms, including Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, NetEase, and JD.com, are developing their own versions of Open AI's AI-powered chatbot, ChatGPT
This shocking picture, showing how terrible is the results of the earthquake in Turkey
President Joe Biden delivered the 2023 State of the Union Address , in order to help Americans that missed the 2022 speech, do not have internet, and suffer from short memory.
The desk of King Carlos Alberto of Sardinia has many secret compartments
Today's news from Britain - 9th February 2023
The five largest oil companies in the West generated combined profits of nearly $200 billion in 2022, which has led to increased calls for governments to impose tougher windfall taxes
2 earthquakes in Turkey killed over 2,300 people
Powerful Earthquake Strikes Turkey and Syria, Killing More Than 1,300 People.
×