Posted on 09/05/2020 4:10:36 PM PDT by RandFan
Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida became the latest Republican congressman Thursday to recommend President Trump pardon former U.S. intelligence contractor and leaker Edward J. Snowden.
Mr. Gaetz, one of Mr. Trump’s staunchest defenders in Congress, suggested on Twitter that the president intervene and end the government’s case against the wanted secret-spiller.
“Edward @Snowden deserves a pardon from President @realDonaldTrump,” Mr. Gaetz said on Twitter in a post tagging each of their accounts on the social media service.
Mr. Snowden quickly shared the congressman’s suggestion with his own 4.3 million Twitter followers, while neither Mr. Trump nor the White House offered any immediate public reaction.
Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, indicated he agreed with Mr. Gaetz, meanwhile. “Matt is right,” the senator tweeted later Thursday in support of pardoning Mr. Snowden.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
I say pardon him. Based on what we now know about the FBI and U.S. intelligence agencies, I would refuse to convict him on principle even if he came back to stand trial.
Russia is also one of the worst countries he could be in. Basically he is their property.
Snowden deserves safe passage to the US and a fair trial of the crimes he is accused of where he can be afforded a vigorous defense by an attorney of his choosing. Trump should make an offer to guarantee these things, nothing more. A lot would be learned by how both Snowden and the media react.
Russia is hardly an “enemy country.”
The law does not allow him a fair trial... that’s the problem.
The Russians love their children too.
A Trump pardon would be a nice deserved slap to the “intelligence” agencies.
Heros all
The law is from 1913 and meant for enemy spies during WW1.. doesn’t give him much ability to defend himself what I understand.
It is very draconian and rarely used ... like once or twice in 50 years!
Pardon. YES!
Stalin loved the children of the Ukraine?
Technically, Stalin was a Georgian.
Pardon:
Flynn
Snowden
Ross Ulbricht
So he escapes your premise because of semantics?
Today’s Russia is not the Soviet Union.
my understanding is that he had access to all streams and there was not a safe uncorrupted place in All of government that he could turn to.
Think of that a minute. No place.
In all three branches.
How can you charge Snowden with espionage when the NSA was committing a crime too?
````
Easy. NSA began collecting phone data back in the 50s (along with every electronic emission world wide in whatever way possible), was public knowledge published in several books, and spoken about in numerous lectures. That the public at large was ignorant of NSA’s mission and collection is on them.
Then what did Eddy Snowjob actually do that warrants treason charges? It was a Snowjob because, while the press should have been aware of the facts, they chose to highlight an aspect that the public could latch onto and help cripple NSA and national security. This was practice for what the media later did to DJT.
What most people do not understand is that Eddy did not act alone. He had Chinese handlers managing him all along the way - which is why he fled to China first. He is not a hero, but cold calculating traitor.
What the Press decided to skip over was the theft of NSA’s Crown Jewels, so to speak. Eddy took everything he had access to as a trusted Administrator: Methods and Means as well as personnel files. Methods: how intel is collected - physical and human. Means: what platforms are used and their capabilities. Personnel files: The names of people in various sections doing a certain sort of work about which other governments would kill to know - literally.
Eddy basically destroyed millions and likely billions of dollars worth of collections (and likely much that was priceless). All of this had to be rebuilt, if possible, with expenditure of more millions or billions. The personnel could not be rebuilt since they were eliminated by various foreign actors aka dead. He is not a hero, but cold calculating traitor.
After Eddy turned over all the data to his Chinese friends they no longer had any use for him and sent him packing. But the Russians interceded and took him in for copies of what he stole as the price he had to pay. Along the way, the data found its way to North Korea, Iran, AQ, and ISIS. He is not a hero, but cold calculating traitor with blood on his hands and, who deserves to be shot on sight. Not Pardoned! Shot!
Unfortunately those whistle-blower protocols don't really protect the whistleblower, from what I've heard in some cases.
Sorry. The F***** passed classified material. I don’t care if it was for the “public good” or not. Not for him to decide.
Hang his ass in jail.
If yes, please send me a link.
Before seeing it, I will speculate that at least 80% of Republicans are vehemently against it.
What the heck are you pro-pardon Libertarians thinking when you start cheer leading a divisive issue like this four weeks before people start voting?
My opinion...
This is deliberate political sabotage.
That has not bearing on it. They should be prosecuted as well.
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