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Edward Snowden: Does He Deserve A Presidential Pardon?

By Val Powell
Published on: 19:17 PST, Sep 14, 2016

Fugitive Edward Snowden is seeking a presidential pardon to go back home to the US, claiming that his intentions were pure even if he broke the law in the process.

The former subcontractor for the National Security Agency (NSA) who blew the lid on the agency’s illegal surveillance activities told The Guardian that if he hadn’t come forward, everybody “would be worse off.”

For now, the 33-year-old is on political asylum status in Russia.

He’s hopeful that President Barack Obama will grant him pardon before he steps down from office to give way to the winner in the US general elections in November.

https://www.facebook.com/ABCNews/posts/10154787131733812

Edward Snowden said, “Yes, there are laws on the books that say one thing, but perhaps this is why the pardon power exists — for the exceptions, for the things that may seem unlawful in letters on a page but when we look at them morally, when we look at them ethically, and when we look at the results, it seems obvious that these were necessary things.”

He said that because of his revelations, the laws on surveillance in the US had changed dramatically.

“The [US] Congress, the courts, and the president all changed their policies as a result of these disclosures,” he added. “At the same time, there has never been any public evidence that any individual came to harm as a result.”

The campaign for the US Government to drop all charges against Edward Snowden has been mounting. A report from CNN said that the interview with the former Dell employee coincided with the Oliver Stone movie titled Snowden which details the circumstances that lead to his decision to come forward.

Other groups like the Amnesty International and ACLU have also committed to back the former analyst’s crusade to get a presidential pardon.

Edward Snowden has repeatedly said that he’s not averse to facing trial on charges of violating the US Espionage Act, but only if he can be assured of a fair trial.

Initially, he was accused of embezzlement for stealing government property, which carries a 10-year jail sentence. Then he also reportedly violated sections 793 and 798 of the Espionage Act. Sec. 793 or the unauthorized communication of national defense information again has a penalty of 10 years; while Sec. 798 or “willful communication of classified communications intelligence information to an unauthorized person,” also carries 10 years imprisonment.

According to CNN, Edward Snowden’s revelations led to an overhaul in the way NSA does its surveillance, particularly on the fact that it used to record the phone details of Americans.

Not everyone in government is averse to giving the whistleblower a second chance. Former US Attorney General Eric Holder said that the judge could look at extenuating circumstances in the trial, especially since the end result constituted to public service.

But BBC said that the White House is bent on making an example out of Edward Snowden. President Obama has issued a statement that the former NSA subcontractor should face the full force of the law because when he went public with the secrets, it “damaged the United States.”

Josh Earnest, White House spokesman, assured that Edward Snowden could expect to be “treated fairly” when he does stand trial.

Both the Amnesty International and ACLU described the whistleblower’s efforts as heroic and, in fact, he doesn’t deserve the treatment that he’s getting now from the US government. Amnesty for its part said that the “indiscriminate mass surveillance of communications” by the NSA was tantamount to violation of human rights.

More than the online advocacy to generate mass support, the ACLU also serves as the legal adviser for Edward Snowden. The group called the 33-year-old as a “great American” and a patriot who deserves clemency from the President.

(Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)

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