welcome to the David Pakman show we have news about
Edward snowden Edward snowden of course now known around the world as the NSA
leaker the king and a bunch of information regarding the surveillance
above Americans via a mostly electronic methods of communication including phone
he has been holed up in the in transit essentially think Adam is legal limbo
in the Moscow Airport for for about a month now he has finally been granted
temporary asylum by Russia it's going to be a one-year asylum going until July
31st 2014
he has left the airport an attorney a Russian attorney
um that was helping him there said that
he handed over the papers to Edward snowden today
he said snowden left moscow's airport where he had been stuck
since June 23rd I put him in a taxi 15 to 20 minutes ago
and have and gave him his certificate on getting refugee status
in the Russian Federation he said he can live wherever you want in russia it is
his personal
choice also adding this is anatoly could share a nap
his attorney per and attorney that helped him in russia
saying that his whereabouts are going to be kept secret obviously for security
reasons now the US has and continues to demand
that Russia send snowden home to the US to face charges for espionage
and presumably a other charges as well
vitamin uprooting the president russia has as dismiss that request
I think a couple things Louis number one this asylum
is going to now allow Edward snowden if you can avoid
any kind of extra legal persecution write some kinda the
covert assets coming after him when he is
in Russia he could now presumably although they may be watched
approach the Consulate's above the different countries most of them in
South America South and Central America that have been at least open to the idea
of permanent asylum
and presumably have meetings that aren't
while he is stuck in the transit area above the Moscow Airport
I think that that is going to increase the possibility that he does a void
US prosecution long-term definitely he just the
got very lucky and bears the there's a lot of things opening up
lot of possibilities for him now white I think if you were to go
you a country that a somewhere in South or Central America
I think those are the types of places where he could be
illegally abducted Mumbai US
by US special forces or what have you that won't happen in russia
I'm not convinced that that why don't you think it'll happen in russia I mean
I think that it's a it's a huge country
and certainly it might be easier for snowed in to hide their but I don't know
that russia is off the table for being taken in by by some kinda covert
operation
I don't think so I think it's too risky I think that's the type of
conflicts you want to avoid if things go right if things go perfectly it's
impossible
to prove who exactly took em but if things go wrong
you've got US special forces are or soldiers or employees
busted in Russia doing something that
who'd more frowned upon I still find something ironic about the fact that
forgetting about the specifics of this case that we had a situation for a long
time
where people were seeking asylum from
Russia in the United States and now I understand it's completely anecdotal but
we have
an American seeking asylum in russia
I its it so I know it's a unique situation but there's some kinda
inherent irony in that for me I don't know why
the other thing I also think I've is Edward snowden back
a in the initial days love these leaks
he said he really has no intention of just avoiding
justice from the United States but really that's what he has been doing red
going to Hong Kong Kong initially
and then going to russia now in an accepting a year asylum they're
I'm not faulting him for it most people would do the same thing and they would
take their self-interest in mind and say whatever legally could happen in the US
I wanna avoided if it's gonna be bad for me I'm not faulting in for it
but he has been trying to avoid justice in the United States has he not
yeah of course and like you said I don't blame him
anyone in his position should because
a it's it's nothing good is waiting for him over here and whether you agreed
that he is
a whistleblower or not putting that aside
anybody who considers themselves to the whistleblowers the way Edward snowden
does
given how the US streets many whistleblowers I can't really blame him
for
for doing anything he can to avoid a a prosecution in the US