WASHINGTON, August 16. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump will seriously consider the possibility of pardoning Edward Snowden, an ex-NSA contractor. The US leader made such a statement at the press conference on Saturday.
"I will start looking out at it," Trump said, adding that he will consider the issue "very strongly."
The matter of pardoning Snowden is extremely controversial, the US leader said. Many people believe he should be "treated differently," while many others say "he did very bad things," Trump noted.
In 2013, Snowden made public information on the methods of electronic surveillance by US intelligence services, including illegally wiretapping foreign leaders. Fleeing from prosecution, Snowden sent requests for asylum to some countries, including Russia. On August 1, 2014, he received a Russian residence permit valid for three years, which was later extended. In the United States, Snowden is charged with two counts of violating the Espionage Act. He may face up to ten years in prison on each of the counts. The US authorities have repeatedly stated that they consider Snowden a traitor who caused grave damage to national security.