Leaker should face the music for violating his oath

Brent StaffordtheQ Leave a Comment

theQuestion: Is Edward Snowden a whistleblower who deserves asylum in Russia or a traitor who should be tried and convicted in the U.S.?*

This week Laila decided to not answer the question posed in The Duel. The above question asks if Edward Snowden is a whistleblower who deserves asylum in Russia. She takes no position on whether Snowden deserves asylum at all. I’m not surprised, as Snowden’s behaviour following his highly publicized leak of national security information makes a mockery of whistleblowing. By seeking protection in countries notorious for their history of human rights abuses, he undermines any ethical motive he lays claim to.

The irony is thick. Snowden’s travel itinerary is a rogues’ gallery. In his attempt to avoid U.S. prosecution he first fled to China and now, held up in an international transit area in a Russian airport, he seeks protection in countries such as Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to provide Snowden safe haven only if Snowden promised to stop revealing U.S. national security secrets. Snowden refused. As his options dwindle, there is only one responsible course — return to the U.S. and face justice for his actions.

I agree with Laila, the U.S. should prove that Snowden is a traitor. I believe he is. Don’t get me wrong, I support the public value of whistleblowing. Sunlight is the best disinfectant and protecting public and private employees from reprisal for disclosing information on fraud, illegality, misconduct and abuse is vitally important. I even agree that some portion of Pte. Bradley Manning’s revelations of the U.S. military’s conduct in Iraq warrants whistleblower status. However, in the case of Snowden I firmly disagree.

The National Security Agency’s secret surveillance program, disclosed by Snowden, is a legal program authorized under both the Bush and Obama administrations. The program is subject to congressional notification and court oversight through the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Snowden did not reveal government misconduct or illegality. In fact, he revealed what was already known.

Reporting on the metadata surveillance program goes back to 2005, and was hardly isolated to a few obscure articles written by older hardnosed journalists, as Laila implies. USA Today ran a front-page story in May 2006 headlined “NSA has massive database of Americans’ phone calls.” There were also highly placed articles in Newsweek, Wired, New York Times and the Washington Post.

Snowden took an oath to protect secrets vital to his country’s national security. He violated that oath. In an attempt to avoid prosecution he fled, seeking sanctuary in countries with less-than-exemplary records on human rights. This doesn’t seem like the behaviour of a hero to me.

*First published in 24hrs Vancouver ‘theDuel’

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