Putin Gives NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden Russian Citizenship
Snowden only stays in Russia because he faces espionage charges.
Russian “President” Vladimir Putin granted NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden Russian citizenship.
In 2013, Snowden exposed the NSA’s plans to spy on American citizens in the U.S. and around the country. It wasn’t an intelligence leak. He tried to go through the proper channels in the government, but everyone ignored him.
Snowden fled to Hong Kong but only went to Moscow when Obama’s DOJ unsealed charges against him for violating the Espionage Act of 1917.
Russia gave Snowden asylum. In 2020, the Russian government gave Snowden permanent residency two years ago.
Snowden gave those classified NSA documents to journalists like Glenn Greenwald.
Greenwald reminded everyone today that the same people who now smear Snowden are the ones who had no problems publishing his documents and story.
Also, Snowden didn’t want to be in Russia, but the moves by the Obama administration trapped him in Moscow. The following administrations didn’t make it easier on him either.
All of this even though the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled the NSA program “was unlawful – and that the U.S. intelligence leaders who publicly defended it were not telling the truth.”
As a reminder, US courts repeatedly ruled the programs Edward Snowden disclosed to us and enabled us to report were *unconstitutional and illegal violations of Americans' privacy rights*.
I can't imagine the self-like mentality needed to oppose this.https://t.co/Xhvif8sUYL
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) September 26, 2022
When Snowden left Hong Kong and landed in Moscow to transit to Latin America, Obama officials like @brhodes did everything possible to prevent him from leaving, to trap him in Russia.
Rhodes boasted of it in his book.
Ever since, they've use this to imply he's a Russian agent. https://t.co/PzGY9pi7tY
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) September 26, 2022
Think about it: if Obama officials believed Snowden had possession of an extremely sensitive archive of top secret documents – as they insist but Snowden denies – why would they *want to trap him in Russia*?
Because they knew it'd be easy to convince idiots he was a Kremlin spy.
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) September 26, 2022
I talked about this on Rogan's show: even Obama officials admit Snowden desperately tried to leave Russia from the first second he landed in Moscow, but – led by Biden – they did everything to trap him there. Then they used it to say he was a Russian spy:pic.twitter.com/ckJTEQIw2n
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) September 26, 2022
Virtually every major news outlet in the West published and reported on Snowden documents: WPost, Guardian, NYT, NBC, LeMonde, Globo, ElMundo, etc. etc.
But liberal “journalists” with Putin in their head still think everything is a Russian spy operation.https://t.co/HFaGJ5EJg0
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) September 26, 2022
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Comments
Following in the footsteps of Biden, Obama, Clinton, Carter, DNC staff, even Bush Jr., no.
He just gave a bunch of Ukranians Russian citizenship too.
I wish I had a laugh emoji
Here, have three of them!
😀
😂
🤣
Not to hijack, but this one is the closest open article to anything on the Ukraine war, so…
In my opinion, this guy has a 100% understanding of exactly how we got to where we are in Ukraine, and why, and where we’re bound to go from here, at least in the short term. When the history book is written, it needs to be him writing it.
Excellent read. Thanks!
>> Putin gives Snowden citizenship…
Just in time to be conscripted into the Russian army.
Land of the Freakin’ Free my butt.
The world’s turned upside down.
Enjoy our lives in the USSA.
Wonder what frontline Putin will have him march towards.
Nah. He’s Russia’s Salman Rushdie propaganda victory bobblehead.
A pig this special, you don’t eat him all at once.
Lest I be misconstrued, the best propaganda is true propaganda.
Putin is sticking a well-deserved finger in the American Swamp’s eye.
Government secrecy is the greatest threat to democracy. There should be no government documents or actions beyond the purview of its citizens. If government secrecy is permitted government agencies will lie to get what they believe is needed for their purposes and that will be the beginning of the end of our republic.
The bigger the government, the less transparent it is.
In Roswell, Texas, state secrets of any kind are absolutely forbidden, government spying on citizens is illegal, and carrying guns (without a permit not to) is the law for everyone.
And yet, even the “good guys” honor these restrictions too often in the breach…
Mary, you may just be the only one who reports this accurately. There is no reason for the media to get this story wrong. PBS did a documentary about how Cheney orchestrated his plan to use the FISA court to spy on Americans and ordered the government to collect every bit of intelligence they could. He was even shown on film admitting that he was violating the US Constitution… “Nothing will stand in the way of the love of my country.”
Then after Edward Snowden blew the whistle with the help of Glenn Greenwald, PBS did a follow-up report on exactly what happened. There have been books and a few other documentaries so the truth is available for those who aren’t afraid of it.
Now we are stuck with the “temporary” Patriot Act where we surrendered our civil rights…. forever. And Liz Cheney is “theatening” to quit the GOP if we nominate Trump? Chip off the old blockhead.
Lizard Cheney threatening to “quit the GOP” is like a dumped lover threatening to break-up with the person who dumped them.
Or like David Hogg vowing never to have kids as long as his fellow citizens can own guns.
Or like Kamala Harris threatening to not have children if abortion rights are diminished.
It’s awfully hard to have kids when you’re the one biting the pillow….
I wonder if Snowden regrets anything?
There’s plenty to regret. But that’s not the same thing as saying it wasn’t worth the sacrifice, or you wouldn’t do it again if you had to.
He did the right thing unless you think it was ok for the 4th amendment to become a complete and utter joke.
He is a hero. You may have liked John Brennan being a god king but I am grateful Snowden blew the whistle and I just wish Trump had had the courage to let him come him.
If you are familiar with Snowden, what motivated him to be a whistle blower and how he risked everything to warn Americans what was going on, it is a real stretch to believe that he is happy about being a Russian citizen. He never renounced his American citizenship. This guy is an American hero. And so is Glenn Greenwald.
Funny how so many non-conservatives have stepped up to defend our constitutional rights. Yes, there still plenty of patriotic Americans who will drop their politics to do the right thing. Now if we can just get the polymorphic “conservatives” to stop lecturing us about what they will do if elected/re-elected and just do it…..
If they were telling the truth, they would be saying “If re-elected, I will shit in my pants and being left with no alternative, will shrink away into the shadows in fear and wait for a change in wind direction.”
I think trump should have pardoned both brand Assange.
Then had Bradley Manning hanged.
I wondered about that too. Now I think that if they had been pardoned, they could no longer claim asylum. Then they would be forced to return, or forced to go somewhere that they would be vulnerable to assassination.
The CIA is angry with him. He might be safer in Russia.
I can’t blame Edward Snowden for taking Russian citizenship. If he tries to go anywhere else, he’ll be arrested.
Trump missed a major opportunity when he decided not to pardon Snowden and Julian Assange.
Those who advised him not to (such as Mike Pompeo) are unworthy to serve in any capacity in any future Republican administration.
Putin must be desperate for people to draft into the Army.