Should Edward Snowden Be Pardoned?

In a recent interview, Donald Trump said he was considering a pardon to Edward Snowden. The media and Establishment were furious. But who is Edward Snowden, and should he be pardoned? Is he a hero or traitor? He's a very controversial figure, so it can be hard to decide how to feel about him. I will discuss who Edward Snowden is, and if he should be pardoned.

If you're unfamiliar with Snowden's story, I will give a brief explanation. While working as a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA), Edward Snowden stumbled upon disturbing information. The U.S. government was illegally spying on Americans by having various phone companies, as well as hacked into various Internet services, to track communications using a surveillance program called PRISM. England was also in on this. Snowden brought up these concerns, but they were ignored. Snowden quit his job, then released the information he obtained to various reporters, who then published this in their newspaper and popular online publications. The U.S. government went after Snowden, claiming he violated the Espionage Act of 1917. They took away his passport, and intended on hitting Snowden with the law. Edward escaped to Russia, and has been living off his Visa. His Visa expires sometime this year, so it isn't surprising the President would now consider a pardon. 

There has been a large uproar from politicians and the media. Susan Rice couldn't believe that Donald Trump would consider pardoning someone who "put our troops in danger." That didn't seem to bother her with Benghazi. I am curious to see what changed in Trump to consider pardoning Snowden, as he repeatedly called Snowden a "traitor." Snowden revealed some damaging information against what the U.S. government was doing to its citizens. Illegally spying on them. Democrats and many Republicans didn't like this because it revealed how corrupt they are. Many Americans already consider Edward Snowden a hero because he exposed the government. Honestly, this was a precursor to what the Obama administration would do to the Trump campaign. 

I do know there's some consideration of if it's a bad idea to bring Snowden back to America because of his "relationship" with Russia. Edward Snowden said that he "didn't cooperate with the Russian intelligence services." He says he never did, and never will. "I destroyed my access to the archive," according to an NPR an interview. He further explains he exposed the government for their "direct violation of the Constitution." Of course, there is no way to ensure what he is saying is 100% factual or false, so that's up to you to decide. One follower of mine explained that the CIA has US jurisdiction where serious interrogation can occur to determine if Snowden told the Russian government any classified information. Or he will be tried in NY, after extradition, receive a penalty, then Trump will pardon him. We will see.

What has come up for debate is if Edward Snowden is a whistleblower. If Snowden is viewed as a whistleblower, he is automatically protected under the Whistleblower Protection Act, which basically protects an employee who lawfully released information to the public if they believe the evidence presented is a violation of the law. Spying on Americans without their permission doesn't only break privacy laws, but goes against the fundamentals in the Constitution. The FBI had no issue breaking the law to spy on the American people. From all the articles and court casings I've read, it seems more like Snowden should've been more protected, but we all know what happens when you mess with the Swamp. 

Edward Snowden revealed the corruption in our government early on and embarrassed the government (which they don't like). Basically, he exposed that the government was spying on you, but the government charged Snowden with spying. The people we elected to protect us and uphold the law weren't even capable of doing that. Again, since there was nothing done about this, these people were able to continue their crimes and illegally spy on Donald Trump's campaign. Nobody was held accountable! From what I read, it doesn't appear Snowden "sold out" United States secrets to the Russian government. Snowden has been in hiding these last few years, but when will the Establishment be held accountable? Only time will tell for that. Unless information comes out that he did sell out the U.S., then I think some charge should be made. As for now, I think the President should pardon Edward Snowden. He blew the whistle on the government's misuse of power. 

Do you think Edward Snowden should be pardoned? Comment down!!