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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
Earnest said Obama would agree with much of that sentiment but would not characterize Snowdens alleged crimes as a public service. <\/p>\n
I would point out that even Mr. Holder pointed out in that interview that Hes broken the law, in my view, Earnest said. <\/p>\n
Snowden, 32, turned to Twitter to mockingly compare the evolving schools of thought on his leak. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
Snowden leaked classified information as a contractor for the National Security Agency in 2013. <\/p>\n
He fled to Hong Kong and then Russia, where he lives under the protection of strongman Vladimir Putin. <\/p>\n
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