House Intel panel urges Obama not to pardon Snowden
The House Intelligence Committee on Thursday urged President Obama not to pardon former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden.
In a letter signed by all 22 members of the committee, lawmakers argued that “a pardon would severely undermine America’s intelligence institutions and core principles, and would subvert the range of procedures in place to protect whistleblowers.”
“Mr. Snowden is not a patriot. He is not a whistleblower. He is a criminal,” the letter reads.
{mosads}The letter was made public alongside a three-page report characterizing Snowden as a “disgruntled employee” rather than a principled whistleblower motivated by his concerns with systemic privacy violations by the NSA.
The full report is classified and is available to members of Congress.
The release comes as the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other civil rights advocates have begun lobbying Obama to pardon Snowden.
“Snowden should be hailed as a hero. Instead, he is exiled in Moscow, and faces decades in prison under World War One-era charges that treat him like a spy,” reads a website unveiled Wednesday by the three groups.
The White House on Wednesday appeared to throw cold water on any suggestions that Snowden might receive a pardon in the waning days of Obama’s administration.
“Edward Snowden is not a whistleblower,” press secretary Josh Earnest said, arguing that Snowden did not follow a “well-established process” that allows whistleblowers to raise concerns without harming national security.
“His conduct put American lives at risk and it risked American national security. And that’s why the policy of the Obama administration is that Mr. Snowden should return to the United States and face the very serious charges that he’s facing,” Earnest said.
Snowden, who has been granted temporary asylum in Moscow, faces at least 30 years in jail if he is convicted of violating the Espionage Act.
The former contractor in 2013 leaked thousands of government documents that fundamentally shifted public opinion about U.S. spying and led to significant legislative reform.
–Updated 5:37 p.m.
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