Edward Snowden is an American Hero. He Should Be Pardoned Today.

Edward Snowden is an American hero.  As Donald Trump’s presidential term draws to a close and federal pardons become an issue of central importance, Snowden’s name ought to be on the top of the list.

A growing nonpartisan coalition agrees.  Such ideologically diverse figures as Congressman Justin Amash, Senator Rand Paul, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, and Senator Bernie Sanders have all recently called for the charges against Snowden to be dropped.  It is nearly impossible to cite another point of remote agreement between all of these legislators.  The unifying nature of this particular political movement constitutes a compelling case, and for good reason.

Snowden is admirable in many respects.  His actions exposed the categorically criminal conduct of the National Security Agency (NSA) under the Obama administration: conduct which has since been unanimously deemed illegal by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  In the process uncovering this illicit enterprise, Snowden was cautious and deliberate, carefully ensuring that the sensitive information ended up in the hands of responsible reporters rather than selling it to the highest bidder among various tabloids, foreign governments, and hostile organizations.  Snowden took these decisive measures at great personal cost and with a virtually comprehensive foreknowledge of the price he would pay: a life in a maximum security prison cell, or else a life as an outcast in exile.  He accepted these consequences and did what he believed to be right in spite of them.    

Essentially, Snowden revealed that the U.S. government was committing crimes against its own constituents, and he did so in a manner which was both ethical and considerate of the individuals who the classified intelligence leak might put at risk.  

He didn’t have to.  Snowden could have maintained his influential position and respected reputation within the U.S. intelligence community and continued to enjoy both the powers and privileges it afforded him as well as the comfort and familiarity of home.  He could have carelessly deposited his trove of documents onto the internet, making them ubiquitous and immediately available to the entire world.  He could have generated massive personal profits by peddling state secrets to Russia, China, North Korea, or Iran.  He didn’t do any of these things.  Instead, he sacrificed his own status and freedom on behalf of people like you and me.    

But critics generally refuse to address the facts which were evinced through the selfless efforts of Snowden.  Instead, they focus—to the point of obsession—on the finer details of the antiquated Espionage Act, initially designed to outlaw dissent against World War I in 1917.  When confronted, they seldom if ever respond by defending the unlawful wiretapping of millions of American citizens.  They have no rebuttal to this.  They choose to fixate exclusively on the hypothetical dangers presented by classified intelligence leaks rather than the actual and more pernicious peril posed by unchecked government institutions which covertly and routinely violate the constitutional protections afforded to their citizens.  In doing so, they have neglected to answer the profound challenges offered by renowned lawyer and journalist Glenn Greenwald: “who is actually bringing 'injury to America': those who are secretly building a massive surveillance system or those who inform citizens that it's being done?”  

Make no mistake: the NSA collected your phone calls, emails, texts, instant messages, and private social media content.  The NSA had the capacity to access the video and audio recording functions of your personal technological devices.  The NSA threatened, manipulated, bribed, or hacked the servers of companies including Verizon, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, and others in order to facilitate such programs.  The NSA repeatedly implemented these and similar procedures without warrant or justification, and subsequently lied directly to the U.S. Congress about it.  A decade ago, such assertions would have been reasonably dismissed as radical conspiracy theory.  Today, we are certain of their validity and authenticity.  This is all thanks to Snowden, who converted conspiracy into incontrovertible reality.

While detractors insist that Snowden’s work compromised national security, the institutional attempts to achieve this security represented an even greater hazard to the American people.  And so the question remains: who is the real threat to this republic?  Is it the perpetrators and apologists of nefarious acts which contravene the rights of the American people; the tyrants who deal in the dark to breach the safeguards of democracy?  Or is it those individuals who endeavor to expose the insidious erosion of human rights which occurs without accountability or transparency?

We owe a great deal to our brave whistleblowers and to the courageous journalists who publish and distribute their discoveries.  True democracy is utterly reliant upon the free exchange of information, and men and women like Snowden play a pivotal part in providing it to the public.  Without collective discourse and debate on such topics as surveillance and privacy, participatory democracy is not possible.  

In recognition of his service to our country and to the world, it is time to bring Edward Snowden back home.  And maybe put him on the next edition of the quarter.