The day after the New York premiere of Oliver Stone’s new movie, “Snowden,” the three largest human rights organizations in the U.S. teamed up to launch a campaign calling on President Obama to pardon the NSA whistleblower.
Snowden himself spoke via video from Moscow at a press conference Wednesday morning alongside representatives from the ACLU, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International.
Snowden called whistleblowing “democracy’s safeguard of last resort” and argued that if the Obama administration does not reverse its practice of prosecuting whistleblowers, it would leave a legacy of secrecy that is damaging to democracy.
“From time to time we see that governments redraw the boundaries of our rights behind closed doors,” said Snowden. “If we are to sustain a free society for the next century, we must ensure that whistleblowers can act safely.”
Panelists pointed out that Snowden’s disclosures led to the first congressional surveillance reform bill in decades, a court decision declaring the bulk collection of phone records illegal, and a change in executive branch surveillance policy. Snowden’s disclosures also pressured technology companies to start encrypting their services by default.
The White House has previously denied efforts by activists to seek a pardon for Snowden.
In July 2015, after a petition on the White House’s “We the People” website quickly gained over 100,000 signatures, officials responded to the petition by accusing Snowden of “running away from the consequences of his actions,” and “hid[ing] behind the cover of an authoritarian regime.”
But speakers on Wednesday had an answer for those criticisms — pointing out that if Snowden returned to the U.S. from his exile in Moscow and faced trial under the Espionage Act, he would not be legally allowed to raise the public interest value of his disclosures as a defense.
Other supporters of the campaign include Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, actors Daniel Radcliffe, Martin Sheen, and Susan Sarandon, and Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg.
On Wednesday, former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders told The Guardian that he supports granting Snowden “some form of clemency or a plea agreement that would spare him a long prison sentence or permanent exile.”
Update: 4:15 p.m. ET
Asked about a possible pardon for Snowden, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest denied that Snowden should even be called a whistleblower.
“Edward Snowden is not a whistleblower. There actually is a specific process that is well-established and well-protected that allows whistleblowers to raise concerns that they have, particularly when it relates to confidential or classified information, to do so in a way that protects the national security secrets of the United States,” Earnest said. “That is not what Mr. Snowden did.”
Snowden claims to have repeatedly raised concerns through official whistleblower channels, and says his concerns were brushed off.
Earnest also said that Snowden’s disclosures “put American lives at risk,” while not citing any evidence.
Top photo: Edward Snowden speaks via video link at a news conference for the launch of a campaign calling for President Obama to pardon him.
“There actually is a specific process that is well-established and well-protected that allows whistleblowers to raise concerns that they have, particularly when it relates to confidential or classified information, to do so in a way that protects the national security secrets of the United States,” Earnest said. “That is not what Mr. Snowden did.”
Except…that’s exactly what he did. Snowden WENT through the proper channels and nothing came of his concerns, in fact by all accounts from the government’s response since all this, they saw nothing whatsoever wrong with the ILLEGAL activities THEY were conducting. But no, by all means, try and turn it around and say “there were better ways to go about this”, and ignore that Snowden TRIED those “better” ways to no avail. The very fact that the people contacted about the heinous actions of the NSA is what led to Snowden doing what he did. If you want to blame someone, blame the bloody people that should have taken his concerns seriously, because they’re pretty freaking HUGE concerns that the whole god damn WORLD takes seriously. This poor, poor, pitiful me routine the US government is taking is getting really fracking old. You f**ked up, plain and simple. Own it, accept accountability and MAYBE your country isn’t going to crash and burn because right now, that is exactly where you’re heading. How on EARTH could you actually expect the rest of the world to respect, take you seriously, or even REMOTELY ever trust the US government ever again without doing that is quite simply mind boggling.
It’s embarrassing that the White House thinks it has any credibility.
Edward Snowden is a far-too-rare example of integrity and self-sacrifice, in a country that is run by criminals.
I’ll be voting for Jill Stein, who has committed to using the power of presidential pardon for Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning, Julian Assange, and other political prisoners.
She calls Snowden a hero:
https://twitter.com/DrJillStein/status/775783444991320065
Our only choice, IMO.
Apparently you folks planning to vote for Trump agree with him that ES is a traitor and will be dealt with “harshly”. Really?
The SECRET government is against the pardon – they are not elected nor do they care about the people.
In love with the secrecy act to hide the actions of government from the people. 38 billion dollars for Foreign Aid for Israel over the next decade is without the people’s vote – how many people working at $50K does it take to pay that bill??
HE SHOULD BE PARDONED……
Earnest also said that Snowden’s disclosures “put American lives at risk,” while not citing any evidence.
I do not see any comparison to George W. Bush’s now decades old war or its body count….
TO TELL THE PEOPLE THE TRUTH –
We are spied upon by our own government – not for our well being – or protection……
are you safer today??
It is clear the united states is not a democracy whenever their high public puppets decide to subvert the constitutional statues of the rule of law for the whims of executive orders deemed and hail as the patriotic thing to do when it is plain treasonous. The specific process of guaranteeing the rights of people in the usa is well establish and well protected by the constitutional statues of the rule of law that prohibits the high public office puppets of the corrupt establishment to subvert it, particularly when it relates to PRIVACY, and confidentiality in any setting. Spying on any person and call that national security secrets of the united states is an afront to the constitution of the united states. Bombing the illegitimate target of doctors without borders (a nobel prize winner) is not reason enough to risk american national security according to the corrupt high public puppets of the usa, because if any other country had done it, the corrupt establishment of the usa would have all their propaganda and disinformation at the order of the day in order to advance their corrupt regime changes via wars in order to advance their macabre one world government. And people’s inalianable rights along with the constitutional statues of the rule of law stipulate the freedom to privacy, but the corrupt establishment wants to perpetrate murder or make it look like an accident against snowden just like they have done with countless countries arround the world. The people need to return to being awaken instead of being afraid to speak against the deliberate calamities perpetrated domestically and abroad while cloaked under the color of democracy without facing charges for their and tyranny.
– Alejandro Grace Ararat.
p.s. who needs a portafolio or a cell phone when many puppets have an RFID auricular implanted telling them what to say:)
after seeing O> stone”s film “SNOWDEN” i hope to gather many signatures
for edward snowden pardonas a WHISTLEPLOWER.
I have also just started a petition to Pardon Edward Snowden. Trying to get 1,000 signatures today to send it to congress, the house, and Mr Obama. If you believe in freedom please sign this petition and pass it on. The link to this petition is: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/194/894/986/%22pardon-edward-snowden-now%22/ I would LOVE it if we could get Glen Greenwald to sign it for me, that would be better to me than having the Pope sign it.
AND a pardon for Chelsea Manning. The world watches as the USA refuses to prosecute the war crimes unveiled…and her jailers treating her like crap.
100% in agreement!
Some good news for Mr. Snowden: the President has apparently expressed “a belief that we need to look forward as opposed to looking backwards”. Oh, wait. Sorry. That was in 2008 and he was talking about torture by the CIA.
Mr. Snowden sets a dangerous precedent. The public accepts that bankers who commit fraud, or police who shoot unarmed suspects should not be punished. But if you don’t hold whistleblowers accountable, then the government can be held hostage by every individual with a conscience. This would threaten the very existence of our most cherished institutions, in a way that torturers, who are too cowardly to challenge government authority, never could. Start an illegal war that kills millions and all will be forgiven. Reveal to the public what the government is doing and you are a pariah for life.
I don’t necessarily believe that is the best of all possible worlds, but it is the one we live in.
Excellent post.
It is clear the united states is not a democracy whenever their high public puppets decide to subvert the constitutional statues of the rule of law for the whims of executive orders deemed and hail as the patriotic thing to do when it is plain treasonous. The specific process of guaranteeing the rights of people in the usa is well establish and well protected by the constitutional statues of the rule of law that prohibits the high public office puppets of the corrupt establishment to subvert it, particularly when it relates to PRIVACY, and confidentiality in any setting. Spying on any person and call that national security secrets of the united states is an afront to the constitution of the united states. Bombing the illegitimate target of doctors without borders (a nobel prize winner) is not reason enough to risk american national security according to the corrupt high public puppets of the usa, because if any other country had done it, the corrupt establishment of the usa would have all their propaganda and disinformation at the order of the day in order to advance their corrupt regime changes via wars in order to advance their macabre one world government. And people’s inalianable rights along with the constitutional statues of the rule of law stipulate the freedom to privacy, but the corrupt establishment wants to perpetrate murder or make it look like an accident against snowden just like they have done with countless countries arround the world. The people need to return to being awaken instead of being afraid to speak against the deliberate calamities perpetrated domestically and abroad while cloaked under the color of democracy without facing charges for their and tyranny.
– Alejandro Grace Ararat.
p.s. who needs a portafolio or a cell phone when many puppets have an RFID auricular implanted telling them what to say:)
I think the courts are trying a procedural end run around Congress to grant the FBI the right to hack millions of computers if they are “damaged”. Even if you trust that their motives are benign do you think it is a good idea to have law enforcement rummaging around and “fixing” everyone’s devices?
FEDERAL RULES OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
Rule 41. Search and Seizure
(b)
Authority to Issue a Warrant. At the request of a
federal law enforcement officer or an attorney for the
government:
a magistrate judge with authority in any district
where activities related to a crime may have
occurred has authority to issue a warrant to use
remote access to search electronic storage media
and to seize or copy electronically stored
information located within or outside that district
if:
(A)
the district where the media or information
is located has been concealed through
technological means; or
(B) in an investigation of a violation of
18 U.S.C. § 1030(a)(5), the media are
protected computers that have been
damaged without authorization and are
located in five or more districts.
(f) Executing and Returning the Warrant.
(1) Warrant to Search for and Seize a Person or
Property.
(C) Receipt.
The officer executing the warrant
must give a copy of the warrant and a
receipt for the property taken to the person
from whom, or from whose premises, the
property was taken or leave a copy of the
warrant and receipt at the place where the
officer took the property. For a warrant to
use remote access to search electronic
storage media and seize or copy
electronically stored information, the
officer must make reasonable efforts to
serve a copy of the warrant on the person
whose property was searched or whose
information was seized or copied. Service
may be accomplished by any means,
including electronic means, reasonably
calculated to reach that person.
Committee Note
Subdivision (b)(6). The amendment provides that
in two specific circumstances a magistrate judge in a
district where activities related to a crime may have
occurred has authority to issue a warrant to use remote
access to search electronic storage media and seize or copy
electronically stored information even when that media or
information is or may be located outside of the district.
First, subparagraph (b)(6)(A) provides authority to
issue a warrant to use remote access within or outside that
district when the district in which the media or information
is located is not known because of the use of technology
such as anonymizing software.
Second, (b)(6)(B) allows a warrant to use remote
access within or outside the district in an investigation of a
violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1030(a)(5) if the media to be
searched are protected computers that have been damaged
without authorization, and they are located in many
districts. Criminal activity under 18 U.S.C. § 1030(a)(5)
(such as the creation and control of “botnets”) may target
multiple computers in several districts. In investigations of
this nature, the amendment would eliminate the burden of
attempting to secure multiple warrants in numerous
districts, and allow a single judge to oversee the
investigation.
As used in this rule, the terms “protected computer”
and “damage” have the meaning provided in 18 U.S.C.
§1030(e)(2) & (8).
The amendment does not address constitutional
questions, such as the specificity of description that the
Fourth Amendment may require in a warrant for remotely
searching electronic storage media or seizing or copying
electronically stored information, leaving the application of
this and other constitutional standards to ongoing case law
development.
Subdivision (f)(1)(C). The amendment is intended
to ensure that reasonable efforts are made to provide notice
of the search, seizure, or copying to the person whose
information was seized or copied or whose
property was searched.
damaged?
Lawyers are a clever when they redefine words. But they do so because they fear plagarising the dictionary and being sued by Webster for copyright violations. So they make stuff up- it’s their talent and creative instinct at work.
speaking of damaged – here is an article about newly damaged systems that you can buy new off the shelf – already damaged…
Using a thing made by Microsoft, Apple or Adobe? It probably needs a patch today
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/13/microsoft_apple_adobe_patches/
So, basically, this is legalized hacking?
It is clear the united states is not a democracy whenever their high public puppets decide to subvert the constitutional statues of the rule of law for the whims of executive orders. The specific process of guaranteeing the rights of people in the usa is well establish and well protected by the constitutional statues of the rule of law that prohibits the high public office puppets of the corrupt establishment to subvert it, particularly when it relates to PRIVACY, and confidentiality in any setting. Spying on any person and call that national security secrets of the united states is an afront to the constitution of the united states. Bombing the illegitimate target of doctors without borders (a nobel prize winner) is not reason enough to risk american national security according to the corrupt high public puppets of the usa, because if any other country had done it, the corrupt establishment of the usa would have all their propaganda and disinformation at the order of the day in order to advance their corrupt regime changes via wars in order to advance their macabre one world government. And people’s inalianable rights along with the constitutional statues of the rule of law stipulate the freedom to privacy, but the corrupt establishment wants to perpetrate murder or make it look like an accident against snowden just like they have done with countless countries arround the world. The people need to return to being awaken instead of being afraid to speak against the deliberate calamities perpetrated domestically and abroad while cloaked under the color of democracy without facing charges for their tyranny.
– Alejandro Grace Ararat.
p.s. who needs a portafolio or a cell phone when many puppets have an RFID auricular implanted telling them what to say:)
Good Sir:
Please stop spamming this forum with this repetitive word salad; and what the fuck is a
As Usual,
EA
Rule 41
https://www.wired.com/2016/09/government-will-soon-able-legally-hack-anyone/
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/04/rule-41-little-known-committee-proposes-grant-new-hacking-powers-government
The change to Rule 41 isn’t merely a procedural update. It significantly expands the hacking capabilities of the United States government without any discussion or public debate by elected officials. If members of the intelligence community believe these tools are necessary to advancing their investigations, then this is not the path forward. Only elected members of Congress should be writing laws, and they should be doing so in a matter that considers the privacy, security, and civil liberties of people impacted.
Rule 41 seeks to sidestep the legislative process while making sweeping sacrifices in our security. Congress should reject the proposal completely.
Any self-respecting person would rather face prison than have our world-champion Nobel ignoble salvage some honor by invoking his authority to pardon him.
Let’s ask Michael Hayden what he thinks about a pardon for Edward Snowden – here he is at 55:30 in “Chasing Snowden” on the subject:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YkLS95qDjI
A couple things – first, watching Michael Hayden sniff his fingers is absolutely hilarious. Where did he put them? One can only imagine. . .
Second, what Hayden is really worried about is that this would set a precedent for whistleblowers to expose the corrupt private contractor deals and unconstitutional activities that the top executives of the intelligence agencies have been engaging in; in reality, there might be 99,000 members of the intelligence community more than willing to spill the dirt on the top 1,000, if they thought they’d be protected from persecution.
Third, that “oath” those intelligence officers took includes the responsiblity to report corrupt dishonest behavior (such as foreign espionage or contractors stealing billions of taxpayer money or other forms of illegal behavior); so Snowden was following the oath, just as Drake and Binney were. The ones who aren’t are Keith Alexander, Michael Hayden, James Clapper and their cohort.
Fourth, if Obama pardoned Snowden, wouldn’t he also have to at least drastically reduce Chelsea Manning’s sentence? I think he should, certainly, but given he’s gone overboard on persecuting whistleblowers, even more so than GW Bush, who thinks he actually would? Valerie Plame was not persecuted by the Bush Administration to the extent that Jeffrey Stirling was persecuted by the Obama Administration – so would Stirling get a pardon, too?
Thus, I don’t think the odds here are in Snowden’s favor; I’d also guess that the CIA and NSA and FBI are sitting on some extremely damaging internal corruption issues that, if Snowden was pardoned, would encourage others to come forward with their stories and documents, and that’s not what Obama and his executive branch pals want to see; it would clearly be a big negative for both the Republican and Democratic Establishment.
“There are 100,000 people in the American intelligence community who didn’t violate their oath of office.”
Any of these 100,000 who were aware of the extent of violations of both fundamental and statute laws by the NSA and other USG agencies and also said nothing were MOST SURELY violating their oaths of office. Including Hayden, Clapper, and any other co-conspirators plotting against constitutional protections of the people.
What is obvious is the institutional impunity for officials, high and low, who cross the line. Until that changes, nothing else will.
After admitting he lied to Congress, Clapper should not have returned back to his office. He should have been immediately handcuffed by Capitol police and jailed as a self-confessed criminal.
Let’s swing for the fence. Snowden, Assange, and Manning ALL pardoned and released. A rare trifecta, indeed.
i plan to see the snowden movie monday. obama’s legacy? bp not properly punished for the gulf oil spill, the allowing of corexit (a solvent and fetal poison) to be used on the spill(the 6th largest spill) which is a violation of the clean water act. not properly punishing those on wall street. near term human extinction is what awaits us, the book “going dark” explains it, the 1% deserve to die for what they have done.
Sorry, but anyone who believes that there is even a slim chance that this president’s administration would pardon Snowden – the same administration that has prosecuted more whistleblowers than any other administration combined – is a fool.
I’m afraid Snowden will suffer the same predicament that Assange has found himself in…cooped up in some embassy where he cannot step foot outside in fear of being swept up by federal agents.
Snowden’s belief he had a chance at a pardon in 2016 USA shows he is still afflicted by some of the childish delusions which led him to work for the Stasi’s peeping toms and casual torturers & killers in the first place.
“There actually is a specific process that is well-established and well-protected that allows whistleblowers to raise concerns ”
What a profound BS statement! Whistle blowers are treated like Narc informants. They regularly turn up dead.
Snowden is a hero! I hope 0Bama might salvage his presidency and grant him a pardon.
This seems unlikely. Mr. Snowden broke omertà, the code of silence, which forbids anyone in the US government from revealing anything to the general public. It is the strongest of all taboos. To receive a pardon would therefore require a larger contribution to the Obama Library than the ACLU can afford.
there’s hope – if hellary takes the helm, her special inaugural weekend sale-a-nation discounts to the crooked global initiative is rumored to have a deal on pardons for 9,999.95.
And if pigs had wings, they could magically defy the laws of aerodynamics, and fly away to nirvana. Edward Snowden will be, unfortunately, a political pariah for the rest of his life. He should just make the best of it as he apparently has done in exile in Russia. I wish he would be pardoned. I’m an old Vietnam veteran, and I was happy that as his first official act as president Jimmy Carter signed an amnesty of all the fellow male baby boomers who fled to Canada or went abroad such as to Sweden to avoid the draft. But the political elites will never forgive Snowden for what he has done, that is, exposing them for their betrayal of our basic freedoms as citizens and exposing them as enemies of freedom.
Obama pardon Snowden, now that’s a laugh. I will vote for Clinton IF Obama pardons Snowden, that tells you how sure I am that will not happen.
That would be the ONLY way I would vote for her. Jill Stein right now. I can’t bring myself to vote for two corrupt baboon faces.
let’s predict.
nancy pelosi just said that hillary clinton seeks “world peace“. Would that be ONE WORLD peace as in TPP-TPIP-TISA? yeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaas… and wouldn’t the SECRECY of that remain privitised by the corporat thieves from wallstreet who rob the public for a living? yeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaas… and would not pardoning Mr. Snowden jeopardise that secret private elitedom conspiring against democracy? yeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaas.
“Edward Snowden is not a whistleblower. There actually is a specific process that is well-established and well-protected that allows whistleblowers to raise concerns that they have, particularly when it relates to confidential or classified information”–Josh Earnest
Based on that comment from you, I have three questions:
1)Are you stupid?
2Are you ignorant of the facts?
3)Are you a bald faced liar?
Feel free to pick more than one. I suspect all three might actually be correct, but number three is probably the most accurate.
Obama must pardon Edward Snowdon if he believes in Democracy
P.S., he doesn’t, he is the latest president, ( and I use it lower case intentionally), to become a shill for the group which truly runs the country,(world), the corporations.
“Earnest also said that Snowden’s disclosures “put American lives at risk,” while not citing any evidence.”
When there is no evidence to cite, such unsubstantiated assertions should be called lies.
This article also fails to mention that despite the “reforms” and court rulings, the unconstitutional violations continue… so those celebrating Snowden’s “achievements” are basically polishing a turd.
I actually do believe this will succeed – though not necessarily now – because I still suspect this was all a controlled release by NSA of just enough information to get their tapped communications into ordinary court proceedings. My guess is that the U.S. didn’t maroon an NSA agent in Russia by accident, and someday, when the Russians figure out why, he’ll be back on a plane toot sweet.
To me, he is a hero.
To me, he was a torture & kill happy American rube ten years ago, and he is a rube today, still protecting the identities of individuals who he knows are complicit, like himself, in acts of murder and torture. And he is cashing in on his ongoing betrayal.
If he had a clue he would ditch the unicorn (his naive hopes for a pardon) and do something to help those he and his colleagues harmed, people far less cozy than he — directly because of his criminal acts.
But he won’t do the right thing; it cannot be expected of someone who’s world view and ethics were formed by video games and patriot bullshit.
You mad, bro?
Stan I agree. You are the only one on here who even thought about the lives he put in danger. They don’t see the damage he caused to HUMAN BEINGS whose lives he put on the line. Snowden is a traitor and a coward. If you belief in something whole hearted, there are many in the world who do/have you stay and defend your actions. Jail or not. You don’t put your little tail between your legs and run. These commenters are dreamers who see the action NOT THE CONSEQUENCES
You and Stan don’t have a fucking clue. How did the whistleblowing attempts by Drake, Binney, et al, work out for them? Please tell us about the lives he put in danger. Oh wait, you can’t, can you? Get your head out of your fucking ass.
COMMUTATION
How about a piece calling on dropping extradition efforts of Julian Assange?
It’s important to remember that President Obama, shortly after getting into office (and running his 1st campaign on the stance that “we need to stop all this illegal reinsurance”) looked at all of this secret illegal surveillance capability handed to him by the Bush Administration and choose to not only continue it, but expand it. The danger it poses to the future of the country as a Democracy (via abuse) is immense.
To get a pardon, the President / Administration would have to be admitting that many of these choices he made, which have given us a surveillance society that the East German Stasi could only dream of, were wrong (they were but I doubt he’ll ever face it). The Administration would never do such a thing. Wish that Snowden would get a pardon, but there’s no chance from Surveillance Obama.
“running away from the consequences of his actions,” and “hid[ing] behind the cover of an authoritarian regime.”
sounds like gulen and a lot of other “friendly” terrorist types with posh townhomes in DC. or henry kissinger for that matter. or bill and hillary. the list goes on. i’m tempted to mention samuel sheinbein but that one actually ended quite well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Sheinbein
Yes Snowden did the right thing. But it comes down to who has the money, power and time? Obama does. He says that Snowden is guilty. Hang on a minute. He hasn’t been indicted or tried yet. But because Obama is POTUS, he can say whatever he wants, and get away with it. If you dare to disagree with him, instantly you’re labelled as a “terrorist”. If Obama did pardon him, it would gurantee Trump winning.
Why can’t Obama pardon Snowden AFTER the election?
because it would free Americans from their captivity as dependents and then their new sense of ownership and access to public property would upset the control freakish warmongering nest of habitoids that feed on everyone. It would ruin their game. It would spoil their plans for their future cons against the American public and destroy the burgeoning spy economy that has garnered so many jobs.
That the future of this madness will result in spy vs spy is of no consequence to this colony of mindless insects.
That’s a rhetorical question, right?
“Why can’t Obama pardon Snowden AFTER the election?”
He can, right up to midnight of his last day in office. (As I recall, the first President Clinton was still signing off pardons for people like Mark Rich during late night hours before his term officially ended.)
But Obama won’t. This “violation” occurred on his watch and he’s not going to excuse the grave insult to his vanity.
The second President Clinton could also pardon. But she won’t either. No personal benefit. At least not until crowd funding raises a prodigious donation to the Clinton Foundation. At which point all things become possible.
Would Trump pardon? Probably not, if he doesn’t want to be pilloried in the press for excusing an alleged “spy for Russia”.
Snowden is porked. He might as well settle down for good, refine his Russian, and continue speaking out from a safe distance.
Wish they would do two things in this effort:
1. Quit demonizing Wikileaks. Looking at you, Anthony Romero.
2. Advocate for pardons/clemency for all whistleblowers.