The NSA whistleblower has labelled the charges against the former US president “selective prosecution”
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has argued that mishandling state secrets is a common behavior in Washington and typically goes unpunished. He made the comment in response to the indictment of former US president Donald Trump.
“All kidding aside, it’s not wrong to say that the indictment of Donald Trump for mishandling classified documents is a case of selective prosecution,” Snowden said on Friday in a Twitter post. “Spilled secrets are very much the currency of Washington, and Trump was not alone in splashing them around. He was just the least graceful.”
Trump was charged with 37 felonies in a federal grand jury indictment that prosecutors unsealed on Friday. He’s accused of knowingly retaining classified documents after leaving office, conspiring to keep federal authorities from retrieving them and obstructing an investigation into their whereabouts.
Snowden marked the 10-year anniversary this week of his exposure of mass spying on US citizens by their government. He said Trump failed to fix the system that has now come back to haunt him.
“It’s hard to feel sorry for a man who had four years in the White House to reform that broken system and instead left it in place to the detriment of the American public. He is caught within the same gears his own hands once turned,” Snowden tweeted.
Some observers pointed out that Trump is being prosecuted under the same law – the Espionage Act – that Washington has wielded against Snowden and WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange. As president, Trump declined to issue pardons for both men, who were charged with crimes after exposing US government wrongdoing.
“Then said Jesus unto him, put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword,” Snowden said, using a Bible verse to point out the irony of Trump’s latest legal predicament.
“Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” https://t.co/QE4Jnqug8u
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) June 9, 2023
Snowden has railed against the US government’s abuse of secrecy since 2013, when he exposed the widespread NSA spying on American citizens. He was forced to seek refuge in Russia after Washington annulled his passport mid flight, eventually becoming a Russian citizen.
Asked on Friday what he’d do if he were the US president, he said, “I’d surely reduce the number of things we classify by more than 99% – and you would not find the remainder in my bathroom or behind my Corvette.”
Snowden’s quip alluded to allegations that Trump had classified records stored in a bathroom at his Florida resort, as well as revelations earlier this year that President Joe Biden improperly kept secret documents and stored them in multiple locations, including the garage at his home in Delaware.
Trump and his allies have argued that Biden weaponized the justice system to take out his top opponent in the 2024 presidential election, all while being excused for his own mishandling of state secrets. Trump also argued that he had the authority to declassify the records in his possession, unlike Biden, whose documents were acquired when he served as vice president. The former president blasted Jack Smith, the special counsel overseeing the indictment against him, as a “deranged lunatic” with a history of political bias.
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This country needs a civil war.
Yes. The Named vs the Un-named. No quarter.
So, basically, Snowden’s position is that Trump is a bull in china closet and apparently farted at the wrong dinner party somewhere along the line. I’d say that was a very gracious appraisal of the situation at best.
It’s ironic that he’s banished to Russia while my cynical ass is still here shrieking truth to tardlings.
It’s a strange feeling to become aware that everything you believed about your country was false. To realize our govt is a force of true evil in the world is such a disappointment.
You are progressing…from cynical to bitter. Your journey to the Dark Side is complete, my young apprentice. Rise, Lord Late to the Party. Go and spread the word!
What took you so long to figure it out?
Orange Lunatic Psychopath Narcissist wants to be
crucified like Christ so that he becomes a martyr
for the right-wing insurrectionists that are now
imprisoned for the January 6th attack on Capitol
Hill.
If I was the U.S. Deep State I’d frag the motherfucker
for attacking the most significant legislature in the
USA. He obviously has no merit and that’s why he
belongs in pound him in the ass federal prison.
Orange Prison Jumpsuit can spend the rest of his
pathetic life in federal prison for all anyone cares.
He sold the right-wing down the river because he’s
actually a Democrat that was hired to screw the
right-wing over and botch any chance of the right-wing
getting into high office ever again.
Orange Psycho needs to be permanently installed in a
rubber room.
Ivanka is still hot though and I’d do her.
MOU
You sure have a tiny focus,what being the MOU and all……..
Well, Ivanka is married so seek elsewhere. She’s still a State of Israel duped. Go figure, married to Jared. The two have three kids I guess. Anyway, Trump will never be a crucified martyr. He’s too much flesh and loves himself some McDonalds, Big Macs, whatever, plus the golf course.
Can we get others beides Biden and Trump? Both pathetic.
or a Kennedy. The problem is anyone that who wants to be in power, shouldn’t be.
Trump held a small number of documents in a locked room in a building guarded by the secret service. Biden has them? It’s all a very obvious attempt to keep the orange man and his dangerous tweets away from the next election.