Washington D.C. — Circulating rumors suggest President Trump is considering pardons for whistleblowers Julian Assange and Edward Snowden.
Assange and Snowden are both facing charges from the United States Justice Department under the Espionage Act.
Assange’s charges stem from his publication of classified information exposing multiple scandals in the Obama administration. Snowden faces similar charges for his leaks exposing warrantless government surveillance on Americans.
Assange, the founder of the news website WikiLeaks, is currently in British custody, awaiting extradition to the United States. He faces as much as 175 years in prison if convicted of his charges.
Despite the First Amendment Freedom of the Press, Assange will likely face harsh penalties unless President Trump intervenes before Joe Biden takes power on January 20.
The other potential pardon in question is for Edward Snowden, a former contractor for the NSA and CIA. Snowden leaked classified documents showing that, among other things, the United States Intelligence agencies are spying on American citizens. Snowden has been living in exile in Russia since 2013 when the Obama administration revoked his passport while he was on the run.
Snowden took to Twitter to reiterate his support for a pardon for Assange.
Many on both sides of the political aisle are coming to Assange’s defense, arguing the First Amendment protects the leaks.
Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) introduced a resolution in October calling for the Justice Department to drop all charges against Assange, but the resolution has yet to receive a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives.
The bulk of the opposition comes from former members of the Intelligence Community and their allies. Former CIA Director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper are both opposed to pardoning either Assange or Snowden. Both Clapper and Brennan both served in the Obama administration during the scandals exposed by Assange and Snowden.
Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-WY) also chimed in on Twitter, siding with the former members Obama administration against Snowden. Cheney went as far as to call Snowden a “traitor” for bringing the government spying scandals to light.
Julian Assange is in more imminent danger than Edward Snowden for the time being, as it is only a matter of time before his extradition to the United States. Russia has not indicated any intent to hand Snowden over to the United States government.
A pardon from President Trump is, without doubt, the best chance Assange and Snowden have for freedom for the foreseeable future. If President Trump follows through, it will be a huge victory for privacy rights activists.
More from America’s Citizen Press
Just do it and lock bill barr up !!