Should Obama pardon Snowden? Nyet
Over theweekend, the new Oliver Stone movie onNational Security Agency leakerextraordinaire Edward Snowden clunked into theaters and drew tepid crowds.
At the same time, the American Civil LibertiesUnion, Amnesty International andHuman RightsWatch have launched what they bill as a major effort to persuade President Barack Obama to pardon Snowden.
The Snowdenites hope the fawning movie will spare their hero fromespionage charges.
To gin up some urgency, the pardonsnowden.orgwebsite countdown clock is ticking off the days, minutes and seconds until Obama leaves office. The Snowden apologists evidently realize that President Hillary Clinton or PresidentDonald Trumpwouldn’t risk the political backlash if theywere to go easy on Snowden.
Our capsule review of this effort: Two thumbs down.
Snowden has suggested hewould like to return to theUnited States if his lawyers could negotiate a plea deal. Presumably Snowden has grownweary of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hospitality and, we’re guessing, the intense scrutiny under which he undoubtedly finds himself.
Snowden says hewould consider serving a prison term as part of a plea bargain arranged before he leaves his Russian sanctuary, TheNewYork Times reports. Howmagnanimous.
Aswe said in 2014 when Snowden supporters first dangled the issue of amnesty: Come home, Ed. We’llwelcome you with open arms and a pair of handcuffs. We can showyou all the damage you caused. And maybewe’ll let a judge and jury decide your fate.
Then-U.S. Attorney General EricHolder took the right approach in 2014: He rejected amnesty for Snowden but did not rule out the possibility of plea negotiations, if Snowden returns. “If Mr. Snowden wanted to come back to the United States and enter a plea, wewould engage with his lawyers,” Holder said.
Two years later, wewould support the same deal: No amnesty, no pardon. Snowden should return to theU.S. and face whatever charges the Department of Justice levies. If his lawyers think they can limit those charges in return for his surrender, they’rewelcome to try. It’s a free country. (TheU.S., that is.)
Snowden’s actions caused immense damage to America’s national security interests. A day before themovie’s release, aHouse Intelligence Committee report debunked themyth of Snowden TheNoble Whistleblower who did more good than harm. “Snowden’s actions did severe damage toU.S. national security, compromising the Intelligence Community’s anti-terror efforts and endangering the security of the American people aswell as active-dutyU.S. troops,” the committee said.
American intelligence officials still don’t knowthe full extent of the harm, the report says. Some of the damage may not be known for years. The government has, however, spent hundreds of millions of dollars— and eventually will spend billions — to clean up themess and “mitigate the damage” Snowden caused.
The 22House committee members sent a unanimous, bipartisan letter to Obama urging him not to pardon Snowden. Bulletin: Democrats and Republicans agreed.
“Edward Snowden is no hero— he’s a traitor who willfully betrayed his colleagues and his country,” Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., the committee chairman, said in a statement.
Snowden’s argument that he acted to defend Americans’ privacywere “selfserving and false,” said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., ranking member of the committee. “While those disclosures did spark a useful public debate, the collateral damage has been extraordinary.”
Three years ago, a self-satisfied Snowden declared victory. “Forme, in terms of personal satisfaction, the mission’s already accomplished,” he told TheWashington Post. “I alreadywon.”
That victory may not be so sweet any more. Not when the reward is a permanent address under Putin’s thumb.
Snowden stole and released thousands of pages of documents that endangered— likely still endangers— U.S. lives. He exposed secrets whose impact he could not possibly comprehend. That’s what he calls winning.
To us, that doesn’t sound like a whistleblower who should be celebrated. That sounds like someone who should be in a U.S. prison. Come home, Ed. Make your case.