'Pardon Edward Snowden' Petition Seeks White House Response

[Purveyor]

By Deborah Zabarenko
WASHINGTON | Mon Jun 10, 2013 8:01pm EDT
(Reuters) - A petition to pardon Edward Snowden, who has acknowledged leaking secret documents from the U.S. National Security Agency, had attracted more than 30,000 electronic signatures by Monday evening, one day after it was posted on the White House website.

"Edward Snowden is a national hero and should be immediately issued a full, free and absolute pardon for any crimes he has committed or may have committed related to blowing the whistle on secret NSA surveillance programs," read the petition created by "P.M." of Rochester, New York, on Sunday.

Snowden, an outside contractor for the NSA, announced in a video on Sunday from Hong Kong that he was the source of leaks about the ultra-secret agency's surveillance programs. By Monday, he had dropped out of sight and was expected to be at the center of an extradition battle to face U.S. legal charges.

The NSA has requested a criminal probe into the leaks and, on Sunday, the U.S. Justice Department said it was in the initial stages of a criminal investigation.

If the petition gains 100,000 signatures by July 9, the White House will review it, forward it to policy experts and issue an official response as part of the Obama administration's "We the People" effort to engage Americans in government.

MORE...

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/11/us-usa-security-petition-idUSBRE95910820130611

[Pholus]

1. Ends up defining new database class in NSA files -- "bad attitudes...."

Had a friend who used to torture telemarketers. One day he got a call for "Mr. Bad Attitude" which he found out happened when the marketer read the comment field instead of the actual name field.

Of course that didn't stop the calls, just like this won't stop the peeping toms...

[Tx4obama]

2. 'A petition to pardon' - Ah, so all those 30,000 believe he DID commit a crime.

Arrest him and bring him to trial.
Then toss him into prison.

p.s. President's can't pardon someone that has not yet been convicted.

[ProSense]

3. .

[Cha]

6. Thanks for keepin' real, Tx :)

[giftedgirl77]

4. Holy Crap

I have been trying to explain the damn pardon bit to everyone that keeps screaming that crap over Manning. It just makes me growl..

Damn people if you are going to ask for something make sure it's the right thing. In this case it would be immunity not a pardon. Just an FYI in case anyone was wondering.

[Cha]

7. Yeah, a "pardon" does seem a bit premature..

First he'd have to be convicted.. thrown in prison and then pardoned down the line.

I'm guessing Snowden is going to try to avoid a messy trial. Maybe "Iceland"? Wherever the sweetest deal is.

[no_hypocrisy]

5. Get real. If Obama hasn't already and still won't pardon Gov. Don Siegelman, then

don't even bother asking for a pardon for Edward Snowden.