In a sharp reversal of his past position, President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he was mulling a pardon for Edward J. Snowden, who leaked classified documents on extensive government oversight.
“There are a lot, a lot of people – it seems like a split decision – a lot of people think he should be treated differently and other people think he did very bad things,” Trump said. a news conference at his golf club in Bedminster, NJ “I’ll take a good look at it.”
Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor, disclosed state surveillance that was the game of conspiracy theories before his action. He fled the country, and has been in Russia since 2013.
Trump earlier called Snowden a traitor and claimed he was a ‘spy to be executed. That was before his 2016 election.
Proponents of Snowden’s claim that Snowden is a hero for exposing the scope of U.S. surveillance, which includes monitoring phone records and episode on foreign leaders. His detractors say he disclosed classified information.
Trump spoke about Snowden during a Thursday interview with The New York Post. “There are a lot of people who think he’s not being treated fairly,” Trump said in that interview. “I mean, I hear that.”
Snowden was charged with violating the Espionage Act and faces a lengthy prison sentence before leaving the country. He has said he will not return to the United States while he faces these charges.
