Trump Says He Will "Take a Look" at Pardoning Snowden, Ultimately Does Not Grant Pardon

At a press conference at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club, President Donald Trump told reporters he was considering a pardon for Edward Snowden, stating “Many people think he should somehow be treated differently, and other people think he did very bad things, and I’m going to take a very good look at it.” This marked a significant shift from Trump’s earlier position; in 2013, he had called for Snowden’s execution, tweeting that the whistleblower was a “traitor” who “gave serious information to China and Russia” and should receive “the death penalty.”

Trump’s comments sparked immediate controversy within Republican ranks. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other GOP national security hawks strongly opposed any pardon, with Representative Liz Cheney calling Snowden a “traitor” who had endangered American lives. However, some libertarian-leaning Republicans and conservative civil libertarians expressed support for clemency, arguing that Snowden had exposed unconstitutional surveillance programs. The division reflected broader tensions within the GOP between traditional national security conservatives and libertarian-influenced privacy advocates.

According to journalist Glenn Greenwald, significant effort went into lobbying Trump’s transition team for a Snowden pardon after Trump lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden. Greenwald reported that at one point Trump appeared ready to grant the pardon, but former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other anti-Snowden advisers successfully persuaded him against it. Trump may also have feared that pardoning Snowden would prompt congressional Republicans to vote for his conviction in the second impeachment proceedings then underway.

Trump ultimately did not pardon Snowden before leaving office in January 2021, despite issuing controversial pardons for numerous allies and associates. The Biden administration showed no interest in reconsidering Snowden’s case; as Vice President in 2013, Biden had pressured Ecuador to reject Snowden’s asylum request. Snowden remained in Russia under extended asylum, still facing Espionage Act charges that carry potential decades in prison. The failure to secure a pardon meant Snowden would likely remain in indefinite exile, unable to return to the United States without facing prosecution. Privacy advocates argued that the continued pursuit of Snowden, even as the surveillance reforms he inspired became law, demonstrated the government’s determination to punish whistleblowers regardless of the public value of their disclosures.