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A campaign to pardon NSA leaker Edward Snowden, launched in combination with a fawning Oliver Stone film about him, hasn't made any headway. The request spurred the entire membership of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, 13 Republicans and 9 Democrats, to send a letter to President Barack Obama urging against a pardon. "He is a criminal," they stated flatly.
Obama weighed in on the matter on Friday. During his European tour, he was interviewed by Der Spiegel—the largest newspaper in Germany, a country where Snowden is particularly popular. After discussing a wide range of issues, he was asked: Are you going to pardon Edward Snowden?
Obama replied: "I can't pardon somebody who hasn't gone before a court and presented themselves, so that's not something that I would comment on at this point."
Will the NSA's spying and Snowden's actions come to define Obama's legacy?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 22 2016, @04:20AM
The only pardon Snowden will receive is going to be from the end of a gun to the back of his head.
I assume Assange already got his pardon. He'll never need to go to court either, just like Snowden.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 22 2016, @06:34AM
Will snowden be tortured?
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 22 2016, @08:01AM
Considering he was given an official letter which promised he would not be tortured... I think the obvious answer is "yes, if he were to fall into the hands of the criminal US government, he would be tortured."
If the US fedgov told me that the sun would rise in the east, I'd be strongly motivated to check the west first, just on principle.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Tuesday November 22 2016, @08:03AM
Will snowden be tortured?
He is living in Russia so ... that could be considered as cruel and inhumane.
That said there will be a cold and snowy day in hell before Snowden gets a pardon. Sure he is a hero to the internet-freedom-crowd or whatever one would like to call them but from a political and legal standpoint he is a traitor. Even if you don't live in the USA and had an employee in whatever intelligence organization you have do whatever he did they wouldn't be getting any pardons either.
Whomever Trump appoints to lead the various departments and agencies that could chime in on the issue are sure as hell not going to pardon him. They would probably want to have him executed. So the pardon window, as if there ever was one, is rapidly shrinking.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 22 2016, @11:17AM
Why did snowden hang out with the Pussy Riot feminist cunts?
Will Royssia beat him to death? Why does he act so ungrateful and smug?
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 22 2016, @02:11PM
> from a political and legal standpoint he is a traitor
How much is it to spread bullshit these days?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 22 2016, @08:18PM
A law which violates the US Constitution never legally existed, even if such non-laws are still on the books and being enforced. (For proof of recognition of this principle, see Norton vs Shelby County [cornell.edu])
So, what is an unConstitutional law [soylentnews.org]? It is any law that "allows" someone to do something to someone else that you as a private individual human being do not have authority to do by yourself. Such as massive, sweeping spying on the communication of all Americans.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 23 2016, @06:33AM
And yet you still will be killed or put in jail.
Sorry: there is a law.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 22 2016, @11:31AM
No, he will not be tortured — using a selected [ibtimes.com] definition [politico.com] of "not torture". [cnn.com]