© Dagens Nyheter / AFPFormer US intelligence contractor and whistle blower Edward Snowden.
In an op-ed published Sunday in the The Cipher Brief, Morell called on Putin to circumvent the non-extradition principle and deliver Snowden to the US. The former NSA contractor is charged with espionage and theft of government property and faces up to 30 years in prison in the US.
"Noon on January 20th provides an excellent opportunity for Russian President Vladimir Putin to give President-Elect Donald Trump the perfect inauguration gift - Edward Snowden," Morell
wrote. "I'm well aware that Russia does not have an extradition treaty with the US, but I am confident that President Putin is creative enough to find a way within his own legal system to deport Snowden."
The former CIA chief argued that it is in Putin's interest to expel the US's most wanted, as it would help Trump to "overlook Moscow's anti-democratic activities at home and destabilizing activities abroad."
He also reasons that such extradition would be a "poke... in the eye of [Putin's] adversary Barack Obama."
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson,
Maria Zakharova, responded sharply, saying that Russia does not betray its principles and does not hand out "gifts"."But seriously,
the essence of what the [former] CIA [chief] is proposing, is the ideology of betrayal," Zakharova wrote. "It is clear that, for the CIA-man's firm, it is normal to present people as gifts and give up those who seek protection."
Comment: Keep in mind who conducted the poll. More rigging involved?