>>> THE UNITED STATES WILL >>> THE UNITED STATES WILL ALWAYS BE MY HOME, AND I’LL ALWAYS BE WILLING TO COME BACK ON A SINGLE CONDITION AND I’VE BEEN QUITE CLEAR ABOUT THIS OVER THE YEARS. THIS IS THAT THE GOVERNMENT GUARANTEE THAT I HAVE THE RIGHT AND EVERY WHISTLE-BLOWER HAS THE RIGHT TO TELL THE JURY WHY THEY DID WHAT THEY DID. >> THAT WAS ALMOST A YEAR AGO. TODAY ED SNOWDEN IS STILL LIVING IN MOSCOW, HAVING LEFT THE U.S. FOLLOWING THE LEAK OF NSA SECRETS BACK IN 2013. HE JOINS US LIVE TONIGHT FROM RUSSIA ON WHAT IS ALREADY SATURDAY MORNING THERE. EDWARD SHARED HIS STORY IN LAST YEAR’S BEST-SELLING MEMOIR "PERMANENT RECORD," WHICH CAME OUT IN A PAPERBACK VERSION JUST DAYS AGO. ED, IT’S GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN THOUGH I SUSPECT YOU’VE BEEN THE ONE WORKING FROM HOME BEFORE ANY OF US. LET’S BEGIN HERE WITH WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAID ABOUT YOU MOST RECENTLY. >> DO YOU WANT TO GIVE EDWARD SNOWDEN A PARDON AND BRING HIM BACK? YOU ONCE SUGGESTED -- >> WELL, I’M GOING TO LOOK AT IT. I MEAN I’M NOT THAT AWARE OF THE SNOWDEN SITUATION, BUT I’M GOING TO START LOOKING AT IT. THERE ARE MANY, MANY PEOPLE -- IT SEEMS TO BE A SPLIT DECISION. MANY PEOPLE THINK THAT HE SHOULD BE SOMEHOW TREATED DIFFERENTLY, AND OTHER PEOPLE THINK HE DID VERY BAD THINGS. AND I’M GOING TO TAKE A VERY GOOD LOOK AT IT. >> SO, ED, AS YOU KNOW, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL DID NOT SHARE THE ROSY VIEW OF THE IDEA OF A PARDON FOR YOU AND SAID SO TO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS TO START OFF WITH THE GRAPHIC THERE THAT BARR IS VEHEMENTLY OPPOSED. HAVE YOU HAD ANY CONTACT WITH THE ADMINISTRATION? DID YOU INITIATE ANY? HAVE THEY INITIATED ANY? HAVE YOU SOUGHT A PARDON FROM THE UNITED STATES? >> I HAVE NOT, AND THIS IS SOMETHING PEOPLE HAVE ACTUALLY FORGOTTEN. THERE WAS A PARDON CAMPAIGN BACK DURING THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, BUT I AT NO POINT ACTUALLY ASKED FOR PADDENRDON MYSELF. WHILE IT’S TREMENDOUSLY GRATIFYING TO HAVE THIS LEVEL OF SUPPORT. BUT AS I SAID, MY CONDITION FOR RETURN IS SIMPLY A FAIR TRIAL. NOW, WE DIDN’T SEE THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TALKING ABOUT A PARDON IN THIS WAY, AND I THINK TRUMP HAS COMMENTED AGAIN SINCE THEN THAT HE THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, TREATMENT WAS VERY UNFAIR OR COULD BE. AND THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF SPECULATION THAT’S COME FROM THIS, BUT THERE’S BEEN NO CONTACT. I WAS AS SURPRISED AS ANYBODY ELSE TO SEE THIS. BUT IT’S VERY INTERESTING TO SEE THIS PRESIDENT THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PARDONING WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD CONSIDER ONE OF THE BIG NAMES IN THIS NEW WAR ON WHISTLE-BLOWERS, AND THAT’S SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE SHOULD ALL SUPPORT SEEING COME TO AN END. >> SO NO REPRESENTATIVE FOR YOU HAS DONE ANY OUTREACH. NO REPRESENTATIVE FOR YOU OR YOURSELF HAVE HEARD ANYTHING FROM THE WHITE HOUSE, THE ADMINISTRATION, ANY GOVERNMENT TYPES? >> NO. BY HOOK OR BY CROOK, THERE’S BEEN NOTHING. NO CONTACT, ANYTHING LIKE THAT. I THINK IF THAT WERE HAPPENING, IT WOULD BE CERTAINLY NEWS THAT WE’D PROBABLY HEAR THROUGH ONE OF THE CHANNELS. >> LET’S USE PLAIN ENGLISH. THE PRICE FOR PARDONS APPEARS TO BE LAVISH PRAISE FOR THIS PRESIDENT AFTER THE FACT. IS THAT SOMETHING YOU’RE WILLING TO DO? >> CERTAINLY NOT. I DON’T THINK A PARDON IS OR SHOULD BE CONDITIONED ON ANYTHING. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE PARDON POWER, IT’S CONSTITUTIONALLY DERIVED. I THINK IT’S ARTICLE II, SECTION 2. A PARDON IS NOT A CONTRACT. A PARDON IS NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU ACCEPT OR REJECT, AND IT CERTAINLY SHOULD BE USED AS A POLITICAL TOOL. AND THIS IS WHY, WHILE I HAVEN’T ASKED FOR A PARDON FROM THE PRESIDENT, I WILL ASK FOR A PARDON FOR OTHERS. NOW, WHEN I MENTIONED THE WAR ON WHISTLE-BLOWERS, THIS IS AN ONGOING AND CONTINUING THING. THE REASON PARDON IS EVEN BEING CONSIDERED, EVEN BEING DEBATED, THE FACT THAT COMMENTS FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL ARE EVEN HITTING THE NEWS IS BECAUSE EVERYONE WHO’S FOLLOWED THESE CASES KNOW BEING CHARGED UNDER THE ESPIONAGE ACT AS A WHISTLE-BLOWER MEANS NO FAIR TRIAL IS PERMITTED. AND THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES TODAY SERVING TIME IN PRISON FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING. AND THIS IS WHY WE SHOULD SEE DONALD TRUMP OR ANY PRESIDENT END THE WAR ON WHISTLE-BLOWERS. HE SHOULD PARDON REALITY WINNER FOR TRYING TO EXPOSE ELECTION INTERFERENCE. HE SHOULD PARDON DANIEL HALE FOR REVEALING ABUSES IN THE DRONE PROGRAM, OR TERRY AL BERRY FOR TRYING TO EXPOSE SYSTEMATIC RACISM WITHIN THE FBI. AND THESE ARE ALL PEOPLE WHO ARE DESERVING OF PARDON. BUT THIS -- WHEN WE LOOK AT PARDON, PARDON IS INTENDED TO AMELIORATE UNFAIRNESS, TO FIX FUNDAMENTAL FLAWS IN OUR SYSTEM OF LAWS OR THE WAY THEY ARE BEING APPLIED. AND THERE IS NOWHERE THIS IS
