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"There are many, many people - it seems to be a split decision - many people think that he should be somehow be treated differently and other people think he did very bad things. I'm going to take a very good look at it."The remarks signal a shift for the president, who repeatedly denigrated Mr Snowden as a "traitor" and a "spy who should be executed" in the years before his election. The disclosures by Mr Snowden, who sought asylum in Russia in 2013, set off a broad debate about surveillance and privacy.
People's attitude towards Snowden is not something that depends on party affiliation, Trump said, adding that he has seen "many people that are very conservative and very liberal that agree on the same issue, and they agree both ways."Snowden's Russian lawyer claims Snowden isn't a criminal, needs not a pardon and claims Snowden's response would be good.
If the threat of prosecution no longer hangs over Snowden, "his reaction would be good, I know that," Anatoly Kucherena said. "Edward loves his country a lot and he certainly misses his homeland, family and friends."Former National Security Advisor to Obama, Susan Rice reacted in horror:
Kucherena has represented Snowden since 2013, when he applied for political asylum in Russia after his American passport was revoked and he was stranded in the transit zone of a Moscow airport - apparently, on his way to Latin America. Speaking to the Interfax news agency on Sunday, the lawyer said pardoning his client would be a "humanitarian move", but not exactly what he deserves.
"Edward didn't commit any crime; he is not a felon. He acted in the interest of American citizens and humanity as a whole. In all the years of knowing him I have never doubted his honesty and genuine dedication to his cause."
The fact they are even considering a pardon for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden shows how low the Republican party has sunk under Donald Trump.See also: Snowden speechless: NSA whistleblower overwhelmed by push for presidential pardon
Rice's position was angrily rebuked by many people - including journalist Glenn Greenwald, whose reporting on Snowden leaks won him a Pulitzer Prize - it is hardly surprising.
MSNBC contributor Jennifer Rubin joined Rice in her shaming of the GOP for not standing up to the potential move. The take offered by colleague Malcolm Nance is that both Trump and Snowden are traitors to the country.
Civil rights activist Shaun King took a potshot at never-Trumpers:
Comment: While we're wondering if this is possibly some kind of stunt to generate publicity for Ms. Weaver's documentary, we've watched the documentary and find that the two 'intelligence sources' she interviews seem to be legitimate. Here it is:
For those with limited time, here's the opening tweet of a Twitter thread that is a handy guide/analysis of its contents with timestamps for skipping to the relevant parts:
In case Google/YouTube takes it down, here it is on BitChute, and on UGETube.
UPDATE 17/08/2020: #ShadowGate has apparently been shadowbanned: