Obama Should Have Pardoned Ed Snowden For Many Reasons-- Taking Him Out Of Putin's Hands Was One Big One
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Putin's "generosity" towards Snowden was a way of sticking his thumb in Obama's eye while making himself look vaguely progressivish and humanitarianish-- a joke to anyone who knows anything at all about Vladimir Putin, one of history's most egregious and ruthless kleptocrats. He and Trump are a match made in Heaven.
While Obama was still president, DWT was one of several blog begging him to pardon Snowden if, for no other reason, to take away a weapon Putin would have in terms of Trump. In late November we wrote that we were worried that Putin "will turn Ed Snowden over to Trumpanzee the first time el Presidente Pepe The Frog needs a rabbit to pull out of a hat." Has that time arrived already?
After all, Trump's approval rating seems to be in freefall and the percentage of people who want to see him impeached is likely to pass a solid majority by spring. He's losing and losing and losing. Everything he puts his deformed little hands to, turns to shit. How about a nice show trial for "the traitor?" Yesterday NBC News reported it could be in the works.
U.S. intelligence has collected information that Russia is considering turning over Edward Snowden as a "gift" to President Donald Trump-- who has called the NSA leaker a "spy" and a "traitor" who deserves to be executed.
That's according to a senior U.S. official who has analyzed a series of highly sensitive intelligence reports detailing Russian deliberations and who says a Snowden handover is one of various ploys to "curry favor" with Trump. A second source in the intelligence community confirms the intelligence about the Russian conversations and notes it has been gathered since the inauguration.
...If he were returned to American soil, Snowden-- a divisive figure in America who is seen by some as a hero and others as treasonous-- would face an administration that has condemned him in the strongest terms.
"I think he's a total traitor and I would deal with him harshly," Trump said in July. "And if I were president, Putin would give him over." In October 2013, Trump tweeted: "Snowden is a spy who should be executed."
CIA Director Mike Pompeo has also called for Snowden to face American justice. "I think the proper outcome would be that he would be given a death sentence," Pompeo said last February.
...In an interview streamed on Twitter in December, Snowden said being forced to return to the U.S. would be a human-rights violation but would also put to rest to accusations that he is a Russian spy.
"A lot of people have asked me: Is there going to be some kind of deal where Trump says, 'Hey look, give this guy to me as some kind of present'? Will I be sent back to the U.S., where I'll be facing a show trial?" Snowden said.
"Is this going to happen? I don't know. Could it happen? Sure. Am I worried about it? Not really, because here's the thing: I am very comfortable with the decisions that I've made. I know I did the right thing."
More than 1 million people signed a White House petition calling for then-President Obama to pardon Snowden. Snowden himself did not file an application and tweeted that Army leaker Chelsea Manning should get clemency ahead of him. Obama commuted Manning's sentence but took no action on Snowden.
Labels: Edward Snowden, Trump/Putin
posted by DownWithTyranny @ 9:00 PM
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5 Comments:
Although this story CAN be cited as evidence of the Herr Hair/Putin saga, the problem lies ultimately with Obumma who, before he refused to pardon Snowden, was at the forefront of the campaign to demonize Snowden as he, Obumma generally did, in historic proportions, with all manner of whistle blowers. (Wasn't that yet another "reversal" one of his many promises?)
This, of course, is only a minor factor in Obumma's 8-years general aiding, abetting and enabling of the blatantly neo-fascist GOP with his pathological bipartisanship towards the party he was elected to vanquish (with a 10 million vote margin and given two massive congressional majorities).
John Puma
One more rotten plank for the Obummer Legacy LIEbury.
Obama knew well Trump was President elect when he was pardoning people. The MIC owned media thinks the offer is a dirty trick, which means the cia doesn't want Snowden all that bad. I am also skeptical the offer was made and Snowden says he's not scared.
I was hopeing this was going to be about Snowden, and written by Gius. Unfortunately is another boring Trump/Putin polemic
Yes, Obama bears much of the blame for our current situation. When he pardoned Manning I was hoping he would also do so for Snowden. Obama treated whistleblowers very poorly when they are generally heroes and only have their lives ruined as the consequence for their efforts to expose the truth. And yes, why would he leave Snowden in Russia?
Obama did not stand up to the Republicans like he should have. He treated them with the respect they did not deserve. Perhaps now he realizes what a bunch or immoral unethical dangerous scumbags they are and how they are set on a path to destroy this country. In that rear view mirror, the Democrats taking the "high road" looks laughable, only it's not funny. The press hyped it as well, with their equal balancing of Dem faux pas weighing grains of sand with Republican elephant poop.
Disaster is facing us, the only question is where will it come from first? Sorry to say, I suspect an international incident and war. The National Security Council is dysfunctional, with incompetents all over the place. And Trump's impulsivity, ignorance and vengeful personality are truly frightening. Surely he won't keep a calm head in a crisis. Financial collapse is a little down the road. The environmental disaster is even further down but a big road block on the highway that will stop all traffic.
Krugman is very on target of late. I had stopped reading him for a while when he was a Hillary shill and anti Bernie, but I am now back in the fold. He is extremely smart, knowledgeable and perceptive, unlike those in charge in our government right now.
Oh, we are so screwed. I hate to be so pessimistic but there is reality. Real reality, not alt reality.
Nice to see others having eyes wide open. Obamanation should be considered among the worst ever and almost surely the worst D ever. His 8 years served only to keep and expand all the bad and did nothing good. He only gets kudos for staying out of the way as society pretty much plodded forward on the LGBTQ issues. After the marching made real progress, he tepidly joined in. leading from behind.
As with all the evil he affirmed, his relative indifference to LGBTQs has left them vulnerable to total reversal under the regressive xenophobes just elected and nominated.
But obamanation's real evil was expressed in his treatment of whistle-blowers and illegals, mostly asylum-seakers hoping to not be killed in $hillbillary's corporate hellholes in latin/central America.
Frankly, I was shocked at the Manning pardon. After all, it was his admin/dod that tortured manning for so many years. If Manning, why not Snowden? It makes no sense at all except that obamanation was a despicable president who should be judged very harshly by history.
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