Because his appeal for clemency was denied by officials from the White House, it seems as though former NSA contractor Edward Snowden will never return to the U.S.
Snowden, a former government employee who leaked documents detailing the existence and scope of massive U.S. surveillance programs, had tried to get charges against him dropped, according to The Guardian.
In addition to seeking clemency, Snowden asked the U.S. for the opportunity to directly address Congress regarding the nation’s surveillance policies.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), leader of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, voiced her frustration regarding the Snowden case on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
“He’s done this enormous disservice to our country,” Feinstein said on CBS, according to The Guardian. “I think the answer is ‘no clemency.’”
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), leader of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee, further supported Feinstein’s claims.
“He needs to come back and own up,” Rogers said, according to the New York Times. “We can have those conversations, if he believes there are vulnerabilities he’d like to disclose.”
While it may be a dangerous political move to support Snowden, members of Congress should be more willing to grant the former NSA contractor clemency.
No one except Snowden and a handful of journalists throughout the world know exactly what type of classified information was stolen from the NSA.
If the U.S. wants to ensure that further revelations about government surveillance programs are not made public, it is in the country’s best interest to concede defeat and offer Snowden what he desires.
What can the U.S. lose by complying with Snowden’s requests?
The damage has already been done. Before Snowden’s leaks to The Guardian, very few Americans had even heard of such mass surveillance programs.
It’s highly unlikely that U.S. officials, including President Barack Obama, will ever comply with Snowden’s demands.
Although it has been four months since Snowden’s leaks were made public, fallout from the revelations continues.
Last month, Reuters and several other news organizations reported that the U.S. allegedly monitored German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s personal cell phone.
Following the publication of the allegations, Snowden expressed interest in participating in a German inquiry on U.S. spying, according to the Washington Post.
The chances of Snowden participating in the inquiry is doubtful.
“If there were the possibility to hear Snowden as a witness — without bringing him into danger and completely ruining the German-USA relationship — we should use it,” Thomas Oppermann, a German politician, said, according to the Washington Post.
Germany’s welcoming a wanted man could negatively affect the U.S. government’s perception of the country.
It is easy to see that much of the information that Snowden made public can affect many countries throughout the world.
By refusing to compromise with Snowden and grant him some form of clemency, U.S. officials have left Snowden no decision but to continue giving away classified documents.
Rather than be vilified as a traitor, however, Snowden should welcomed as a hero and whistleblower.
Without Snowden’s courage and determination, Americans would have remained largely in the dark about how frequently the government accessed surveillance about them.
Let’s hope the White House will change its mind soon regarding Snowden’s plea for clemency.
The security and well-being of the country rests on it.
Shane Newell is a journalism major and the opinions editor at the Daily 49er.