Should President Trump Pardon Edward Snowden?
- Yes
- No
0 voters
I hope Trump has time to pardon Snowden, being busy writing so many pardons for his family and friends.
2 Likes
Pardons are such a weird thing. I once shared a house with a guy Clinton pardoned for Coke trafficking. Family friend of the Waltons.
I’m watching this.
America’s treatment of Snowden tells me exactly how much they “care” about freedom and liberty.
The fact that no presidents or presidential candidates even discussed about pardoning him tells me they don’t.
No president or candidate would ever make an enemy of the intelligence agencies going in.
Snowden burned them. They aren’t letting it go.
And this is the reason why Snowden will ever be pardoned. The fact that intelligence agencies basically spy on their own citizens is wrong.
But I thought presidents controlled intelligence agencies like Putin controls their agencies. Are US intelligence agencies above the president?
Voted Yes, but he should also pardon Julian Assange as well - that would upset many.
Edit - Quite plausible actually, seeing that Assange’s source, Chelsea Manning, had her sentence commuted by Obama as one of his final POTUS acts.
3 Likes
Obviously. Presidents come and go and are disposable impediments to the intelligence agencies, stocked with career spies and killers.
Was the guy from Arkansas?
Yes.
Has he? I haven’t been following, but Flynn is the only one I know of, and he is not friend or family. 
It’s propaganda value.
If they pardon Snowden they show the world that America has not lost their way and that they are still committed to their principle. Regardless of the truth this matters a LOT.
This means America strengthen ties with their allies, as people gain confidence in America keeping the peace around the world. It would also strengthen trade.
America has nothing to lose and everything to gain by pardoning Snowden. Especially if Congress acts to pardon him.
Do not underestimate the value of propaganda. Empires rise and fall by this.
And Julian Assange and Ross Ulbricht.
Didn’t that happen on nov 8th 2016?
1 Like
I’m just saying regardless of what America is now, pardoning Snowden and the various other whistleblowers would make people believe that America still represents freedom.
It changes nothing but the propaganda value could change perceptions.
I just wish the various US government agencies could see the bigger picture. That and they serve America, not themselves.
Which is this hypothetical agency that you talk about 
No, 1963 after someone was bumped off.
Pardon Snowden for revealing to the American people that their government is spying on them?
He should get a medal. Pardons are for criminals.
2 Likes
You know the funny thing is, the rifle used for killing JFK would not have been affected by the gun control laws passed in 1968, because they’re antiques! (You see this rifle in Red Dead Redemption 2, which took place in 1899)
So all the good that gun control law ever did.
Regardless of what America is today, giving Snowden a pardon and a medal would have made great propaganda value. That and publicly shaming the acting head of the NSA at the time, but quietly replacing him, but sending him to some other posts, where nothing would change.
NSA still spies on their people but the people will believe that this is no longer the case and that good has triumphed over evil.
That is exactly what propaganda does, and that tends to hold America together.
With the clusterf*** going on right now people’s trust in America is being eroded and it will actually hurt America.
Every dictator who maintained control understands the value of propaganda.