>>> THE UNITED STATES WILL
ALWAYS BE MY HOME, AND I’LL
ALWAYS BE WILLING TO COME BACK
ON A SINGLE CONDITION AND I’VE
BEEN QUITE CLEAR ABOUT THIS OVER
THE YEARS.
THIS IS THAT THE GOVERNMENT
GUARANTEE THAT I HAVE THE RIGHT
AND EVERY WHISTLE-BLOWER HAS THE
RIGHT TO TELL THE JURY WHY THEY
DID WHAT THEY DID.
>> THAT WAS ALMOST A YEAR AGO.
TODAY ED SNOWDEN IS STILL LIVING
IN MOSCOW, HAVING LEFT THE U.S.
FOLLOWING THE LEAK OF NSA
SECRETS BACK IN 2013.
HE JOINS US LIVE TONIGHT FROM
RUSSIA ON WHAT IS ALREADY
SATURDAY MORNING THERE.
EDWARD SHARED HIS STORY IN LAST
YEAR’S BEST-SELLING MEMOIR
"PERMANENT RECORD," WHICH CAME
OUT IN A PAPERBACK VERSION JUST
DAYS AGO.
ED, IT’S GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN
THOUGH I SUSPECT YOU’VE BEEN THE
ONE WORKING FROM HOME BEFORE ANY
OF US.
LET’S BEGIN HERE WITH WHAT THE
PRESIDENT SAID ABOUT YOU MOST
RECENTLY.
>> DO YOU WANT TO GIVE EDWARD
SNOWDEN A PARDON AND BRING HIM
BACK?
YOU ONCE SUGGESTED --
>> WELL, I’M GOING TO LOOK AT
IT.
I MEAN I’M NOT THAT AWARE OF THE
SNOWDEN SITUATION, BUT I’M GOING
TO START LOOKING AT IT.
THERE ARE MANY, MANY PEOPLE --
IT SEEMS TO BE A SPLIT DECISION.
MANY PEOPLE THINK THAT HE SHOULD
BE SOMEHOW TREATED DIFFERENTLY,
AND OTHER PEOPLE THINK HE DID
VERY BAD THINGS.
AND I’M GOING TO TAKE A VERY
GOOD LOOK AT IT.
>> SO, ED, AS YOU KNOW, THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL DID NOT SHARE
THE ROSY VIEW OF THE IDEA OF A
PARDON FOR YOU AND SAID SO TO
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS.
A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS TO START
OFF WITH THE GRAPHIC THERE THAT
BARR IS VEHEMENTLY OPPOSED.
HAVE YOU HAD ANY CONTACT WITH
THE ADMINISTRATION?
DID YOU INITIATE ANY?
HAVE THEY INITIATED ANY?
HAVE YOU SOUGHT A PARDON FROM
THE UNITED STATES?
>> I HAVE NOT, AND THIS IS
SOMETHING PEOPLE HAVE ACTUALLY
FORGOTTEN.
THERE WAS A PARDON CAMPAIGN BACK
DURING THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION,
BUT I AT NO POINT ACTUALLY ASKED
FOR PADDENRDON MYSELF.
WHILE IT’S TREMENDOUSLY
GRATIFYING TO HAVE THIS LEVEL OF
SUPPORT.
BUT AS I SAID, MY CONDITION FOR
RETURN IS SIMPLY A FAIR TRIAL.
NOW, WE DIDN’T SEE THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION TALKING ABOUT A
PARDON IN THIS WAY, AND I THINK
TRUMP HAS COMMENTED AGAIN SINCE
THEN THAT HE THOUGHT, YOU KNOW,
TREATMENT WAS VERY UNFAIR OR
COULD BE.
AND THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF
SPECULATION THAT’S COME FROM
THIS, BUT THERE’S BEEN NO
CONTACT.
I WAS AS SURPRISED AS ANYBODY
ELSE TO SEE THIS.
BUT IT’S VERY INTERESTING TO SEE
THIS PRESIDENT THINKING ABOUT,
YOU KNOW, PARDONING WHAT A LOT
OF PEOPLE WOULD CONSIDER ONE OF
THE BIG NAMES IN THIS NEW WAR ON
WHISTLE-BLOWERS, AND THAT’S
SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE SHOULD
ALL SUPPORT SEEING COME TO AN
END.
>> SO NO REPRESENTATIVE FOR YOU
HAS DONE ANY OUTREACH.
NO REPRESENTATIVE FOR YOU OR
YOURSELF HAVE HEARD ANYTHING
FROM THE WHITE HOUSE, THE
ADMINISTRATION, ANY GOVERNMENT
TYPES?
>> NO.
BY HOOK OR BY CROOK, THERE’S
BEEN NOTHING.
NO CONTACT, ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
I THINK IF THAT WERE HAPPENING,
IT WOULD BE CERTAINLY NEWS THAT
WE’D PROBABLY HEAR THROUGH ONE
OF THE CHANNELS.
>> LET’S USE PLAIN ENGLISH.
THE PRICE FOR PARDONS APPEARS TO
BE LAVISH PRAISE FOR THIS
PRESIDENT AFTER THE FACT.
IS THAT SOMETHING YOU’RE WILLING
TO DO?
>> CERTAINLY NOT.
I DON’T THINK A PARDON IS OR
SHOULD BE CONDITIONED ON
ANYTHING.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE PARDON
POWER, IT’S CONSTITUTIONALLY
DERIVED.
I THINK IT’S ARTICLE II, SECTION
2.
A PARDON IS NOT A CONTRACT.
A PARDON IS NOT SOMETHING THAT
YOU ACCEPT OR REJECT, AND IT
CERTAINLY SHOULD BE USED AS A
POLITICAL TOOL.
AND THIS IS WHY, WHILE I HAVEN’T
ASKED FOR A PARDON FROM THE
PRESIDENT, I WILL ASK FOR A
PARDON FOR OTHERS.
NOW, WHEN I MENTIONED THE WAR ON
WHISTLE-BLOWERS, THIS IS AN
ONGOING AND CONTINUING THING.
THE REASON PARDON IS EVEN BEING
CONSIDERED, EVEN BEING DEBATED,
THE FACT THAT COMMENTS FROM THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL ARE EVEN
HITTING THE NEWS IS BECAUSE
EVERYONE WHO’S FOLLOWED THESE
CASES KNOW BEING CHARGED UNDER
THE ESPIONAGE ACT AS A
WHISTLE-BLOWER MEANS NO FAIR
TRIAL IS PERMITTED.
AND THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THE
UNITED STATES TODAY SERVING TIME
IN PRISON FOR DOING THE RIGHT
THING.
AND THIS IS WHY WE SHOULD SEE
DONALD TRUMP OR ANY PRESIDENT
END THE WAR ON WHISTLE-BLOWERS.
HE SHOULD PARDON REALITY WINNER
FOR TRYING TO EXPOSE ELECTION
INTERFERENCE.
HE SHOULD PARDON DANIEL HALE FOR
REVEALING ABUSES IN THE DRONE
PROGRAM, OR TERRY AL BERRY FOR
TRYING TO EXPOSE SYSTEMATIC
RACISM WITHIN THE FBI.
AND THESE ARE ALL PEOPLE WHO ARE
DESERVING OF PARDON.
BUT THIS -- WHEN WE LOOK AT
PARDON, PARDON IS INTENDED TO
AMELIORATE UNFAIRNESS, TO FIX
FUNDAMENTAL FLAWS IN OUR SYSTEM
OF LAWS OR THE WAY THEY ARE
BEING APPLIED.
AND THERE IS NOWHERE THIS IS