Donald Trump said on Saturday that he would look at the issue of giving a pardon to whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Snowden disclosed highly classified information from the National Security Agency in 2013. He revealed the news covertly to the Guardian after he fled to Hong Kong, before flying to Moscow to avoid extradition back to America. He currently lives in Russia.
Snowden’s revelations of the extent of American communications surveillance caused a major domestic and international scandal and triggered an intense debate over government eavesdropping. To many civil liberties advocate Snowden became a hero, but to others he is seen as a traitor.
At a press conference on Saturday Trump said he did not know much about the case and heard powerful arguments for and against a pardon. He then added that he would look into the matter.
“I’m going to take a look at that very strongly, Edward Snowden,” Trump said.
Trump’s comments reflect a recent change in his attitude to a man he once deemed a “traitor” worthy of execution. But he pardoned or commuted the sentences of other controversial figures. He commuted the sentence of his longtime ally Roger Stone and pardoned the anti-immigrant Arizona former lawman Joe Arpaio after he was convicted of criminal contempt.
In 2016 a petition was started urging Barack Obama to pardon Snowden. The Pardon Snowden petition reached a million signatures in 2017 and was delivered to the White House.