Speaking at the Southland Conference, former Vice President Al Gore declined to call former NSA contractor Edward Snowden a traitor for leaking tens of thousands of secret government documents to journalists.
In response to the question “Is Edward Snowden a traitor?” Gore dismissed the dichotomy, not putting him into the category of being a traitor or not. Continuing, Gore noted that Snowden “clearly violated the law,” but also pointed out that his revelations have shown “violations of the United States’ Constitution that were way more serious than the crimes that he committed.”
Gore’s stature at home and abroad makes his unwillingness to call Snowden a traitor notable. Also, his implication that the NSA has violated the Constitution is something to chew on.
Snowden provided an “important service,” according to Gore.
Current government members have endeavored to paint Snowden as not merely a traitor, but also possibly an agent of a foreign power. New head of the NSA Admiral Michael Rogers recently stated that Snowden is “probably not” a foreign spy, but that admission comes at the end of a parade of insinuations. Gore’s comments, coming after the Admiral’s, underscore what Snowden’s supporters have been arguing for a year now: That he leaked of his own accord, and that the revelations that have come from those leaks have been productive on a national level.
Here’s the full clip:
Top Image Credit: Pando YouTube Channel