National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden has been out of the U.S. for a month already and now his father is begging for him to give it up and come home.
We know Snowden fled to China after U.S. officials sought his extradition and that he is safe for now in the airport transit area in Moscow. Russian president Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that he has “no intention” of returning Snowden to the U.S. and that he views the whistleblower as a rights activist.
But back at home, Snowden’s father, Lonnie, has expressed concern over WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange‘s involvement in his son’s case. He believes WikiLeaks are barring Edward from “doing the right thing,” that is, turning himself in, and using him to generate financial support for their cause.
The elder Snowden’s attorney, Bruce Fein, has sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder explaining that Lonnie was…
reasonably confident he could arrange his son’s return in exchange for “ironclad assurances his constitutional rights would be honored and he were provided a fair opportunity to explain his motivations and actions to an impartial judge and jury.”
Further, Lonnie has spoken to the media:
“I love him. I would like to have the opportunity to communicate with him,” he told NBC.
The elder Snowden said he doesn’t feel that his son has, at this point, committed treason.
“He has in fact broken U.S. law, in a sense that he has released classified information,” he told NBC News. “And if folks want to classify him as a traitor, in fact he has betrayed his government. But I don’t believe that he’s betrayed the people of the United States.”
He may have no choice but to return home, as Ecuador, the home of Assange, has disavowed Snowden’s political protection credentials. He has been forced to ask, according to a Russian Foreign Ministry official, fifteen different countries for asylum.
Will one of the countries answer his calls? Or will he heed his dad’s advice and return to the U.S. to face criminal charges? Stay tuned.
