As Edward Snowden and his supporters plead for a presidential pardon for him, many people are saying he should be imprisoned for leaking classified NSA files in 2013.
Snowden is in exile in Russia, and the U.S. government is saying he will face trial if he ever returns to the United States. He faces two counts of violating the Espionage Act of 1917 and theft of government property, Wikipedia says. If you don’t know the backstory, you can read up on it there.
Personally, I think Snowden must have known he would be on the run for the rest of his life when he leaked the files. It was something he was prepared to face. He believed in his cause, and may have been willing to die for it or spend the rest of his life in prison.
I don’t think he has a chance of being pardoned, and he will probably spend the rest of his days in Russia or another country that agrees to harbor him — if they don’t sell him out in some sort of trade with the U.S.
But I don’t have an opinion about whether he deserves to be pardoned or not.
What say you? Should Edward Snowden be pardoned or not? And do you think there is any chance he will receive a presidential pardon from Barack Obama or a future chief?
— Jillian
Cannot be pardoned if not convicted yet. A suspended sentence would be fair.
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Actually, a Presidential Pardon does not need a conviction. Look at the pardon that Gerald Ford gave to Richard Nixon.
Personally, I think Snowden a hero for exposing the Bush/Cheney crime syndicate.
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Edward Snowden did release secret information which is illegal, but this is not espionage and not Terrorism. Some want to try him for all sorts of things. If he came to US, he could possibly face trial to possibly clear his name.
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