Amid a
renewed debate about Edward Snowden, Libertarian presidential nominee
Gary Johnson said Saturday he would pardon the whistleblower based on
his knowledge of the case.
In an
interview at The Texas Tribune Festival, Johnson, the former New
Mexico governor, was deeply skeptical of how the United States is
using the kind of intelligence capabilities brought to light by
Snowden. Snowden, a former government contractor, faces charges under
the Espionage Act for leaking classified information about the
National Security Agency to reporters in 2013.
“I
would like to see … these satellites turned away from 110 million
Verizon users,” Johnson said. “I’d like to see the
satellites turned away from you and I as U.S. citizens, recognizing
that there is due process out there for anyone that’s suspected of
crime or harm against the rest of us.”
A new
campaign is underway to persuade President Barack Obama to pardon
Snowden, the subject of a biographical movie released last week.
Former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders recently
added his name to the list of those pushing for a pardon.
Johnson has
previously said he would be inclined to pardon Snowden but appeared
to go further Saturday. “Based on what I know about Edward
Snowden, I would pardon Edward Snowden,” Johnson said.
The
Libertarian nominee is considered a long-shot candidate for the White
House, especially after missing the cut to make the first debate,
which is being held Monday. Acknowledging the importance of
qualifying — “The only way to have a chance at winning is to
be in the presidential debates” — Johnson noted that he has
only failed to make the first debate and that there are three in
total.
He also
voiced doubt that voters would have their minds made up following
Monday night’s debate between the two polarizing major-party
nominees, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump.
“Is
anybody predicting that after Monday night, the entire country is
going to collectively go, ‘Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, we’re in such
good hands’?” Johnson said. “I don’t think so.”
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