The release of Oliver Stone’s new movie on National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden hasn’t changed President Obama’s stance that Snowden must return to the U.S. and face charges for his actions.
Asked whether Obama now believes Snowden performed a public service and may consider pardoning him, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the president’s views have been “very consistent.”
“Mr. Snowden has been charged with serious crimes, and it’s the policy of the administration that Mr. Snowden should return to the United States and face those charges,” Earnest told reporters, noting that Obama has been asked this several times over the past couple of years and has provided the same answer every time.
“The fact of the matter is, Mr. Snowden chose to disclose this information that damaged the United States, harmed our national security and put the American people at greater risk,” he continued. “There were mechanisms that Mr. Snowden could have availed himself of, if he had concerns, to communicate this information more responsibly.”
Because Snowden chose to leak information to the press about the country’s sweeping surveillance system he “did harm to our national security,” Earnest said, and “his assessment of that hasn’t changed.”
Pressed directly on whether Obama would consider a pardon for Snowden, Earnest said he’s “not going to get into the president’s thinking about anybody being considered for a pardon.”
“Obviously, there is a process that people can go through in requesting a pardon,” he added. “Right now Mr. Snowden has not been convicted of any crimes … and it’s the view of the president that he should return to the United States and face those charges.”
“Snowden” will hit theaters Sept. 16. It chronicles the story of the NSA contractor turned leaker who revealed classified information about numerous U.S. surveillance programs. He leaked thousands of classified documents to journalists Glenn Greenwald at the Guardian, as well as several others.
