Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency whistleblower, has been called both a hero and a traitor by Americans, but either way, the White House petition to pardon him has garnered more than 86,000 signatures.
In order to reach the goal of 100,000 signatures in 30 days, 13,766 more signatures are needed by July 9.
If reached, the petition will be put in a queue for review by the White House, and a response will be issued.
Snowden has faced a bevy of criticism since leaking the details of a NSA surveillance program to the Guardian’s Glenn Greenwald. The 29-year-old is currently residing in Hong Kong and looking for permanent refuge as FBI agents are gathering evidence against him.
Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) has called Snowden a ‘traitor’ during an interview on ABC News, claiming the leak, “puts Americans at risk.” Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairman of the national intelligence committee, has called Snowden’s behavior ‘an act of treason.’
Meanwhile, many Americans support Snowden, and he has been publically declared a hero by Director Oliver Stone, Michael Moore and Glenn Beck, among others.
Three former NSA employees have praised Snowden for doing what they couldn’t, they said, and informing the public about the agency’s surveillance activities. Thomas Drake, William Binney, and J. Kirk Wiebe have been trying to tell people for years about the mass collection of communication data that the agency has been collecting from U.S. citizens.
In his interview with Glenn Greenwald, Snowden tells those accusing him of treason that he was living a ‘privileged life’ in Hawaii and making a ton of money — and it took a lot for him to tell the truth and leave it all behind.
In a live question-and-answer session, also with The Guardian, Snowden said America is “worth dying for.”
