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President Obama Should Pardon Edward Snowden Before Leaving Office (theverge.com)
An anonymous reader writes from a report via The Verge: Ever since Edward Snowden set in motion the most powerful public act of whistleblowing in U.S. history, he has been living in exile in Russia from the United States. An article in this week's New York Magazine looks at how Snowden may have a narrow window of opportunity where President Obama could pardon him before he leaves office. Presumably, once he leaves office, the chances of Snowden being pardoned by Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump are miniscule. Obama has said nothing in the past few years to suggest he's interested in pardoning Snowden. Not only would it contradict his national security policy, but it will severely alienate the intelligence community for many years to come. With that said, anyone who values a free and secure internet believes pardoning Snowden would be the right thing to do. The Verge reports: "[Snowden] faces charges under the Espionage Act, which makes no distinction between delivering classified files to journalists and delivering the same files to a foreign power. For the first 80 years of its life, it was used almost entirely to prosecute spies. The president has prosecuted more whistleblowers under the Espionage Act than all president before him combined. His Justice Department has vastly expanded the scope of the law, turning it from a weapon against the nation's enemies to one that's pointed against its own citizens. The result will be less scrutiny of the nation's most powerful agencies, and fewer forces to keep them in check. With Snowden's push for clemency, the president has a chance to complicate that legacy and begin to undo it. It's the last chance we'll have."
Snowden is a traitor. If all he had done was to be a whistleblower for the overreaching programs that illegally monitored US Citizens (on US soil no less!), then you could argue that he was a whistleblower and that he deserves to be pardoned.
However, he instead released an enormous amount of legitimate, sensitive information that did harm to our intelligence gathering capabilities.
Snowden himself has stated that he took the job with the intent to do his gathering effort, then release it. The fact that it wasn't after he was hired that he realized what was wrong with the system is yet another point that he is a traitor.
Whenever i see planted opinions masquerading as legitimate, organic thought, I cam't help but ask.
> Trump might. Just to spite Obama. Or not, because I doubt he gives a crap about Snowden (he's old news).
Honestly, what are the chances that Trump even understands what Snowden and Manning are about?
Does he have an ounce of integrity to his being? Does he have any comprehension of right and wrong? His racist brain-spasming and the fact that he got rich from inheriting his dad's fortune and multiplied it through ponzi schemes leads me to believe that the man is a nihilistic narcissist.
The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
Obama should ask for pardon from the people of Europe. I reckon his pushing for remain caused a fair number people to vote the the other way. Because if there's one thing Brits absolutely love, it's being pushed around by foreigners, which, duh, was the whole fucking point of the question.
Really, if I was some head of state, I'd be like "That's a matter for the people of X". At the very strongest, if pushed, I'd say "Well, personally, I'd prefer..." or "If I was one of them, I'd probably choose...". I wouldn't make threats.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
Nope... Nixon got one.
I think everyone will agree that Trump loves money. A lot. Even Trump's most ardent supporters.
Did you know that Trump spent about $80,000 to run an ad in favor of the death penalty for the kids who confessed to the rape and murder of the Central Park jogger in 1989?
Funny thing about that story. They were innocent and their confessions were coerced lies. The REAL rapist was identified more than 10 years later and the kids (grown into prison-hardened adults) were released. No one seems to have detected any apology from Trump.
I had originally thought that Hillary had only the one issue (E-mail scandal), but it turns out she's got a whole rack of skeletons in her closet.
If particular note, she made (what she called) a "shameless pitch" to Russia on behalf of Boeing. Russia made a multi-billion dollar deal with Boeing, and Boing then put $900,000 into the Clinton foundation.
Or giving the OK for a uranium deal to a close friend, after which the same close friend put $2.35 million into the Clinton foundation.
Trump has a history of getting money through business, but Hillary has a history of getting money through corruption.
She's not called dirty Hillary for nothing!
the midst egregious being Ford pardoning Nixon
Was what Nixon did really so bad by today's standards? The NSA does worse things before breakfast.
We have someone running for (and leading) president who did worse than what Nixon resigned over.
The two party scam is really fucking America at this point.
and you can't unpardon them either. You could dismiss the charges with prejudice so they can't be re-instated.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
It can't go against the "Rule of Law" when he is expressly granted that power by our most supreme law. There is no law in the United States that trumps the Federal Constitution. That document gives him the power to pardon Federal offenses. It does not -- as people erroneously believe -- give him the power to pardon State offenses. He could give Snowden a full pardon but Snowden could just as easily find himself charged on the State level for any number of crimes.
The American separation of powers doesn't work the way you seem to think it does either. The Executive is responsible for initiating criminal prosecutions and it has some discretion in how it exercises this power. It's true that in other countries -- Civil Law jurisdictions -- an Independent Judiciary both brings charges, prosecutes, and adjudicates them, but that's not how it works here. The Executive brings charges and prosecutes them before the Judiciary which adjudicates.
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
Clinton sold pardons to anyone who could afford the price tag. Obama might not sell quite as many, but Snowden doesn't have the cash anyway,
He reported the problems to his superiors and was ignored. Are you suggesting he should go to a governor or a congressman? Like "hello, I'm a NSA analyst and I'd like to chat with you about NSA illegally spying on everyone in US. When and where would that suit you?"
So he should have leaked only something? Greenwald is an American and they met in New York.
There isn't a wide range of countries to choose from. He chose the country that respected his rights. Which, sadly, is not US.