New York Times pushes clemency for Edward Snowden. Justified? (+video)

The case for some sort of clemency for Edward Snowden also involves a judgment on the National Security Agency's activities. If NSA phone metadata collections are held to be unconstitutional, the chance of a deal might rise.

Should the United States government offer NSA leaker Edward Snowden some degree of clemency so he does not have to spend the rest of his life in exile, forever looking over his shoulder?

Washington Editor

Peter Grier is The Christian Science Monitor's Washington editor. In this capacity, he helps direct coverage for the paper on most news events in the nation's capital.

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Yes," says The New York Times editorial board, in perhaps the most high-profile defense yet of the famous fugitive.On Jan. 1, the Times published an editorial that argues that the information revealed by Mr. Snowden has had enormous value and launched a nationwide debate on government surveillance.

Snowden couldnt just go to his superiors and work through channels to reveal NSA abuses, claims the Times, because legal protections for whistle-blower activities dont apply to government contractors such as him. Meanwhile, theres no proof his leaks have actually damaged US security, according to the papers editorial board.

When someone reveals that government officials have routinely and deliberately broken the law, that person should not face life in prison at the hands of the same government, writes the Times.

The British paper The Guardian has published an editorial with a similar point. This New Years push for mercy is likely to drive official Washingtons arguments over Snowden and his legacy, already heated, to new levels.

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New York Times pushes clemency for Edward Snowden. Justified? (+video)