Trump Plans To Give Edward Snowden Pardon

Edward Snowden (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - President Donald Trump is considering pardoning Edward Snowden, a hacker who is also a former contractor for the United States National Security Agency (NSA). Snowden is currently living in Russia after his leaking of the secrets that rocked the US intelligence community in 2013.

The Republican president's comments come after Trump's interview with the New York Post this week. In the interview, Trump spoke of Snowden that "there are a lot of people who think he's not being treated fairly" by US law enforcement.

US authorities have wanted Snowden back for years to face a criminal trial on spying charges carried out in 2013. Snowden left the US and was granted asylum in Russia after he leaked a stack of classified files in 2013 to the press.

The archives reveal the operations the NSA was carrying out to spy on (people) in domestic and international spheres on a large scale. Trump's softened attitude towards Snowden represents a sharp backflow. Shortly after the leak, Trump expressed hostility towards Snowden, calling him "a spy who must be put to death".

"I'm going to start looking at this problem," Trump told reporters of a possible pardon while speaking at a press conference at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Trump expressed the opinion that both left and right Americans are divided about Snowden. "There seems to be a split decision," Trump said.

"A lot of people think that he should be treated a little differently. And other people think that he has done really bad things."

Defense for Snowden

Some civil liberties advocates hailed Snowden for exposing US digital espionage operations, including domestic spying programs. Senior US officials insist publicly that there is no internal spying program.

But such spying will terrify many in the US intelligence community. Some people who have very important secrets are revealed. Trump strongly criticized past leaders of the US intelligence community and the FBI, and on Thursday slammed FBI Director Christopher Wray, who he hired himself.

The US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit last September against Snowden. In its argument, the department stated Snowden had published the "Permanent Record" memo and violated the "off the record" agreement.

The Justice Department said Snowden published the book without turning it over to intelligence agencies for review, adding that Snowden's statements also violated the agreement not to be broadcast. Trump's executive pardons including pardons often benefit allies and close-knit political figures.

Trump last month eased the sentence of his friend and adviser Roger Stone, keeping him out of jail after he was convicted of lying to lawmakers investigating Russian interference in the 2016 US election in support of Trump's candidacy.