Obama suggests Snowden pardon unlikely

This is the first comments that the President has made about Snowden's September request for a pardon. He says Snowden must first appear in court to face charges before he can be considered for a pardon.

Obama's further comments indicate that a pardon will be unlikey. Supporters of Snowden are pointing out that Nixon was pardoned and that the President could pardon him if he wanted to. It's not that he can't, he just won't.

“I can't pardon somebody who hasn't gone before a court and presented themselves, so that's not something that I would comment on at this point,” Obama said in an interview published Friday with German magazine Der Spiegel and public broadcaster ARD. Obama said, however, that Snowden “raised some legitimate concerns” with the way he revealed the controversial NSA programs. “How he did it was something that did not follow the procedures and practices of our intelligence community,” the president said. “If everybody took the approach that I make my own decisions about these issues, then it would be very hard to have an organized government or any kind of national security system."

Snowden:

Snowden argues his leak of tens of thousands of pages of classified NSA documents ultimately benefited the public. “Yes, there are laws on the books that say one thing, but that is perhaps why the pardon power exists — for the exceptions, for the things that may seem unlawful in letters on a page but when we look at them morally, when we look at them ethically, when we look at the results, it seems these were necessary things, these were vital things,” he said in an interview with The Guardian.

thehill.com...

a reply to: EchoesInTime

He says Snowden must first appear in court to face charges before he can be considered for a pardon.

He says before he pardons Hillary before charges are filed hahahaha.

It hasn't happened yet... But there have been talks.

“I can't pardon somebody who hasn't gone before a court and presented themselves, so that's not something that I would comment on at this point,” Obama said

A complete lie.

In 1866, the Supreme Court ruled in Ex parte Garland that the pardon power "extends to every offence known to the law, and may be exercised at any time after its commission, either before legal proceedings are taken, or during their pendency, or after conviction and judgment."

Link.

Are we sure that its not Jesse Jackson suggesting that President Obama shouldn't pardon Snowden?...Sorry had to do it.

Anyways back to the topic. Snowden might as well stay hiding/running or whatever. Too much has been leaked and wounds have been opened.

a reply to: EchoesInTime

If Snowden does not get a chance of a pardon under Obama, he can pretty much forget it under Trump:

“I think Snowden is a terrible threat, I think he’s a terrible traitor, and you know what we used to do in the good old days when we were a strong country — you know what we used to do to traitors, right?” Trump said, Politico reported.

www.washingtontimes.com...

This doesn't help either:

Trump’s pick for CIA director has called for Snowden’s execution

arstechnica.com...

a reply to: loam

Loam, it doesn't sound as though Obama was saying he CAN'T pardon Snowden at all. I think he's saying he won't pardon him without appearing in Court first. I don't think it has to do with whether he can. That's what it sounds like to me.

a reply to: EchoesInTime

Obama needs to just come out and say it. No I won't pardon Snowden because I think he needs to serve time for what he did. Just say it. Not tip toe around.

He should be hung not pardoned.

a reply to: Bluntone22

Would you say the same for Assange?

a reply to: Southern Guardian


Assange is not an American so Obama has no jurisdiction over him.
Should he perish in an "accident" I will not shed a tear.

a reply to: Bluntone22

It doesn't matter if Assange is not an American citizen. He did the exact same thing as Snowden. We want to punish Snowden for what he did but Assange is given a pass for what he DID.

Why?

Let's put the citizenship side of it away for a moment.

a reply to: Southern Guardian


Snowden committed treason against his own country. I believe that is punishable by death.

Assange did not commit treason therefore he cannot be punished the same way.

Their crimes are not the same.

originally posted by: Southern Guardian
a reply to: Bluntone22

Let's put the citizenship side of it away for a moment.

OK. Assange is under investigation by the Swedish authorities for the crime of RAPE. The Swedes want to extradite him for that.

I love it. Snowden and Assange did the same thing. Snowden gets heat for exposing the government, spy agencies, but Assange gets a pass because why?

I'm not even that much concerned about the fact the Snowden is the only one that legally committed treason. What I find amusing is the double standard, different treatment both these men get for doing the exact same thing.

If you think Assange and Wikileaks did a service to the world, you should apply that SAME judgement to Snowden who risked just as much and exposed just as much.

a reply to: Southern Guardian

Where did I say Assange did a service to the world?
I think he should be arrested and convicted to the fullest extent of the law
But he is not an American citizen and can't be tried in American courts.

Snowden is a different story

originally posted by: loam

“I can't pardon somebody who hasn't gone before a court and presented themselves, so that's not something that I would comment on at this point,” Obama said

A complete lie.

In 1866, the Supreme Court ruled in Ex parte Garland that the pardon power "extends to every offence known to the law, and may be exercised at any time after its commission, either before legal proceedings are taken, or during their pendency, or after conviction and judgment."

Link.

Conventional widom is the norm, so it is not a complete lie, and I don't think it should be considered a complete lie in regard to all law, and the vagaries of the commutative internet versus a physical breaking of the law.
I think Obama is being fair enough in that the law has a long way to go in catchup in enough to enable him to say that a whistleblower like Snowden is beyond his/a President/Anybody's jurisdiction as yet.
That would not be easy for a incumbent President to say that considering the fallout of that on his watch, People should listen more carefully to what the man is saying.
That is somewhat compounded in what he says here in 2013,



It's pretty much as he is saying now.
Actually I would be interested in what people think of the video and what he is saying, and I don't mean a left/right rant.

a reply to: smurfy

It's a complete lie with regard to a president's anticipatory pardon power. Where did I say "in regard to all law".

He spun that answer, because he wanted to avoid the question altogether.

originally posted by: Southern Guardian
a reply to: Bluntone22

We want to punish Snowden for what he did but Assange is given a pass for what he DID.

Correction: We want to reward Snowden. They, the corruption supporters, want to punish Snowden. Anyone supporting the punishment of Snowden should go to jail for obstruction of justice, where justice is exposing criminal activity where it exists.

originally posted by: loam
a reply to: smurfy

It's a complete lie with regard to a president's anticipatory pardon power. Where did I say "in regard to all law".

He spun that answer, because he wanted to avoid the question altogether.

It's a Presidents prerogative FFS, it should be an intelletual performance, not an accommodation.
In effect, Obama is making a challenge to any court, in this case likely the supreme court to indict and convict Snowden and the only thing I can find is the criminal complaint issued by the FBI based on espionage.

originally posted by: Bluntone22
He should be hung not pardoned.

Why, specifically?

a reply to: smurfy


He knowingly stole and distributed classified documents from the nsa.
That is treason and punishable by death.