Former Attorney General Eric Holder Hints That Deal With Edward Snowden A “Possibility”
Former Attorney General Eric Holder, who was criticized during his tenure as Attorney General for his Department’s prosecution of whistleblowers, has said that a “possibility exists” for the Justice Department to make a deal with former NSA contractor Edward Snowden that would allow Snowden to return to the United States from Moscow. Holder told Yahoo News: “I certainly think there could be a basis for a resolution that everybody could ultimately be satisfied with.” Holder even seemed to praise Snowden saying: ”we are in a different place as a result of the Snowden disclosures” and that “his actions spurred a necessary debate” that prompted President Obama and Congress to change policies on the bulk collection of phone records of American citizens.
Snowden has been charged with multiple crimes for his 2013 leak of classified federal documents, including violations of the Espionage Act punishable by decades in prison. Because of the nature of the charges, Snowden’s supporters say that he would not be able to fairly give his side of the story in court. It is said that Snowden’s legal team has long been in discussions with the Obama administration about the possibility of reducing those charges in exchange for Snowden’s return home and cooperation with federal authorities, but those talks have this far failed to yield any discernible progress.
On Monday, Justice Department spokeswoman Melanie Newman said that the Justice Department’s position on Snowden had not changed: “This is an ongoing case so I am not going to get into specific details but I can say our position regarding bringing Edward Snowden back to the United States to face charges has not changed,” Newman said.
In the past, officials have suggested that the odds of a deal may decrease with the passage of time, since Snowden would have less and less to offer in exchange for leniency. Others, meanwhile, have suggested that the Obama administration — or a future White House — might ultimately benefit from the symbolic victory of having Snowden, who is seen as a hero by many and a traitor by others, serve at least some time in a U.S. jail cell rather than letting him live in Russia.