Edward Snowden leaks: NSA amnesty 'considered'

Edward Snowden leaks: NSA amnesty 'considered'

A top National Security Agency official says it is considering offering an amnesty to fugitive US intelligence analyst Edward Snowden if he agrees to stop leaking secret documents. The man in charge of assessing the leaks' damage, Richard Ledgett, said he could be open to an amnesty deal. Disclosures by the fugitive intelligence analyst have revealed the extent of the NSA's spying activity. But NSA Director Gen Keith Alexander has dismissed the idea. Mr Ledgett spoke to US television channel CBS about the possibility of an amnesty deal: "So my personal view is, yes it's worth having a conversation about. "I would need assurances that the remainder of the data could be secured, and my bar for those assurances would be very high, would be more than just an assertion on his part." But Gen Alexander, who is retiring early next year, rejected the idea of any amnesty for Mr Snowden. "This is analogous to a hostage taker taking 50 people hostage, shooting 10, and then say, 'if you give me full amnesty, I'll let the other 40 go'. What do you do?" File picture of the NSA headquarters The NSA is trying to be more open about what the agency does with the data it collects In an earlier interview with the Reuters news agency, Mr Ledgett said he was deeply worried about highly classified documents not yet public that are among the 1.7 million Mr Snowden is believed to have accessed. Edward Snowden's disclosures have been "cataclysmic" for the agency, Mr Ledgett told Reuters. Earlier this month, a UK newspaper editor told UK MPS only 1% of files leaked by Mr Snowden had been published by the newspaper. The state department says its position has not changed and that Mr Snowden must return to the US to face charges, says the BBC's Suzanne Kianpour. The US has charged Mr Snowden with theft of government property, unauthorised communication of national defence information and wilful communication of classified communications intelligence. Each of the charges carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence. At the weekend, the NSA allowed a CBS television crew into their headquarters for the first time in its history, in an effort to be more open about what the agency does with the data it collects.

This news is like a double edge sword. If in fact they do give amnesty to Mr. Snowden, I would recommend that he never set foot back on US soil. I could see the headlines now. "Edward Snowden dies in fatal car accident" or "Edward Snowden dies of accidental overdose"

Of course they could always just drone him!

I wouldn't believe the claim if it was written in gold on a platinum tablet.
The NSA can promise Snowdon the Sun and Moon but that still won't prevent the CIA from turning him into another Hastings or Breitbart.
We all know he's on Barry's secret kill list.
Returning would be death sentence.

-Peace-

reply to post by colddeadhands


Considering the players it is amazing that Edward Snowden is still alive and that they acknowledge that they don't know what he holds. I put it all in the resourcefulness and planning that Snowden put into it on what to get, where and how to store it and how to release it, even the move to go to Russia seems to have been a secondary plan...

BS…

With or without amnesty, hate/ death sentence and punishments are all over and around Mr. Snowden anyway. Please do hold your integrity Mr. Snowden and fight to the end with no remorse, free world stand behind you.

reply to post by Panic2k11

Seems plausible that he would have a death plan in effect. A major dump of all his secrets if he dies unexpectedly. If he knows what he knows, then I am sure he would know all "their" strategies for "quietly" making someone and all their family members go away. Most importantly, they can't be trusted. Could be suicidal for the letter agencies to off him.

reply to post by colddeadhands


I was waiting for someone to put up a thread on some of the news made on yesterday's 60 Minutes program. On this one, the guy floated the idea but the head of the NSA himself said no deal, that he wouldn't amnesty because it might encourage others to leak. The fellow who suggested it is running the Eddie Snowden task force, to ascertain what damage has been done or could be done by the leaks, and it sounded like he wanted him to obtain amnesty so they could bottle-up the really damaging stuff to the agency which hasn't been released yet (concerning NSA operations and not the sensational leaks - things which would really hurt the agency in trying to do their job in other major nations. Have to remember The Snowden Papers contain nearly two million individual files, so Snowden himself has no idea what he "swept up".).

Panic2k11
reply to post by colddeadhands

 

Considering the players it is amazing that Edward Snowden is still alive and that they acknowledge that they don't know what he holds. I put it all in the resourcefulness and planning that Snowden put into it on what to get, where and how to store it and how to release it, even the move to go to Russia seems to have been a secondary plan...

I have to agree. It's amazing that they haven't droned him yet. Probably because they are afraid of what will happen if he dies.

The only reason the NSA would even consider offering Edward Snowden amnesty is that they don't want any more of their dirty deeds exposed. Should they in fact offer Snowden amnesty, it would be nothing more than Snowden giving them (NSA) amnesty for their illegal activity on a global scale.

This is the litmus test for Edward Snowden, would he cave in or stick to the moral high ground and continue to expose the illegal activity if offered amnesty? That is the question that will determine forever who and what Mr. Edward Snowden is.

Just throwing my view out there. I believe that the US wouldn't offer him anything if he handed back everything he had. As soon as one foot is on US soil he will disappear or get knocked off

Secondly .. If this amnesty is true it does make you wonder what information he has, I've heard the NSA doesn't exactly know what he has but I believe they are deeply worried about it

Also I do hope snowdon has a nice bit of insurance info that can be released if something was to happen to him

Aleister
reply to post by colddeadhands

 

Have to remember The Snowden Papers contain nearly two million individual files, so Snowden himself has no idea what he "swept up".).

edit on 16-12-2013 by Aleister because: (no reason given)

I have heard that statement before but I think maybe we should give Mr. Snowden a little bit of credit. Do you really think he is stupid? I bet he knows exactly what he has!

Honestly, im still awaiting a Snowden revelation most hadnt surmised anyways...........................

stirling
Honestly, im still awaiting a Snowden revelation most hadnt surmised anyways...........................

Sorry sterling I'm simple .. What do you mean by this

colddeadhands

Aleister
reply to post by colddeadhands

 

Have to remember The Snowden Papers contain nearly two million individual files, so Snowden himself has no idea what he "swept up".).

edit on 16-12-2013 by Aleister because: (no reason given)

I have heard that statement before but I think maybe we should give Mr. Snowden a little bit of credit. Do you really think he is stupid? I bet he knows exactly what he has!

He likely knows in general, but he has not read every file (impossible given the amount of data he took). That's why the task force focused on him is concerning itself with what he took and the potential damage - even the NSA isn't sure of what he removed. CBS, by airing the episode and keeping in the bits about amnesty (and again, the head of the agency said "no amnesty") seems to be pitting two options against each other. The U.S. may have to give him amnesty, that decision will be made in the Oval.

Snowden may in fact have something that if it ever was released could jeopardize the security of the US itself. Should this be the case, the NSA would offer amnesty just to make sure it was never exposed. Snowden on the other hand would be wise to hold it as an insurance policy for future use if necessary.

Though the NSA states that they do not know all of what he has, that eludes to the fact that Mr. Snowden was no fool and covered his tracks. However, that would seem rather sloppy on the NSA's part which I do not believe is the case here. It would appear that they know very well what he has and they want it back even if that means offering him amnesty.

This is a game of cat n mouse and the mouse has got the cheese that the cat cannot afford to have exposed.

reply to post by colddeadhands


So the government that lied, that spied and got busted for both, is saying, "Trust me?"


BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Snowden will not make a deal, he will continue spilling the beans until everyone's painfully aware of how corrupt our society is and his data is all out in the open. we are in a time of getting rid of the old ways and starting a new way and in order to do that, the dirt must all come out first.

reply to post by OceanSpray


Maybe I've got it asp-backwards (as Cleopatra said), but aren't any new leaks coming from the Brit journalist who has the files, and not from Snowden? I thought one condition of his staying in Russia and hanging out with the Russian ladies is that he stops leaking data. I seem to remember he doesn't even have his computers with him anymore. In effect, The Snowden Papers are out of his hands and in the power of others to leak or not leak.

Aleister
reply to post by OceanSpray

 

Maybe I've got it asp-backwards (as Cleopatra said), but aren't any new leaks coming from the Brit journalist who has the files, and not from Snowden? I thought one condition of his staying in Russia and hanging out with the Russian ladies is that he stops leaking data. I seem to remember he doesn't even have his computers with him anymore. In effect, The Snowden Papers are out of his hands and in the power of others to leak or not leak.

now how on earth would you or i even begin to know the truth on that issue? all we have is what any media tells us, we have no direct connection to data or people involved and therefore nothing tangible to go on. it's a terrible thing to be truly in the dark, but that's just how our corrupt govt. and media operate. even e-media will have a hard time getting any real info.

ATS should be renamed, Speculation City, as well as all other media sources. that's what we have been reduced to by the wealthy, but that's changing now.

i have no idea what mr snowden can or cannot do, i just measure him as a human being and as such, i can see various avenues he may approach based on what kind of person he "seems" to be.

reply to post by colddeadhands


On the other hand that also creates the problem if someone else offs him, just to see it all released ...

Panic2k11
reply to post by colddeadhands

 

On the other hand that also creates the problem if someone else offs him, just to see it all released ...

Interesting.
What would happen if Snowden agreed to bargain with the NSA only if all the proceedings and questioning were televised. Then what ever the NSA agreed to would be bore witnessed by the entire globe. Then perhaps he would fall under their protection as well. Just wondering if there is a way if we all were privy to the agreement. Would they be any less likely to back stab him?