As you (might) know, the end of a presidential term in office, in particular, brings along with it quite a few pardons, more than a few in the past that have been quite controversial. It seems that the ACLU and Amnesty International are going to push President Obama to grant a particularly controversial pardon.
These two organizations, well known for their work in civil liberties and human rights, are launching a campaign to get the president to pardon former NSA contractor Edward Snowden by the time he leaves office in January of 2017. If you can recall, Mr. Snowden was the man who released details of mass phone and internet surveillance by his employers several years ago (he now lives essentially in exile in Russia, having fled there after his revelations). A pardonsnowden.org website has been created, and social media accounts related to the campaign have also been set up.
Will there be any chance that Snowden would actually be pardoned by January 20th. The chances appear to be slim to none. The White House has reiterated what it has said on the matter in the past, that “Mr Snowden should face charges in the US because his leaks ‘damaged the United States’.
Anyone who has followed the actions of the Obama Administration knows that it is not one to go out of its way to court controversy. Granting a pardon to a man that most in the establishment view as a traitor to the nation would be a surefire way to do so.