Obama doesnt share Holders view of Edward Snowden | New …

President Obama doesnt agree with his former attorney general that classified-info leaker Edward Snowden performed a public service when he leaked classified data to the media.

The president has had the opportunity to speak on this a number of times, and I think a careful review of his public comments would indicate that he does not, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Tuesday of whether Obama shared ex-AG Eric Holders view of Snowden.

His statement came a day after Holder said during the podcast The Axe Files that the debate over secrecy and privacy sparked by the Snowden case was a positive development.

Hes broken the law, in my view. He needs to get lawyers, come on back and decide, see what he wants to do: go to trial, try to cut a deal, Holder told former Obama aide David Axelrod.

He added, I think there has to be a consequence for what he has done. We can certainly argue about the way in which Snowden did what he did, but I think that he actually performed a public service by raising the debate that we engaged in and by the changes that we made.

Earnest said Obama would agree with much of that sentiment but would not characterize Snowdens alleged crimes as a public service.

I would point out that even Mr. Holder pointed out in that interview that Hes broken the law, in my view, Earnest said.

Snowden, 32, turned to Twitter to mockingly compare the evolving schools of thought on his leak.

2013: Its treason! 2014: Maybe not, but it was reckless 2015: Still, technically it was unlawful 2016: It was a public service but, he wrote.

Snowden leaked classified information as a contractor for the National Security Agency in 2013.

He fled to Hong Kong and then Russia, where he lives under the protection of strongman Vladimir Putin.

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