Through his attorneys, Snowden has expressed fears about an unfair trial should he return to the US, but says he's willing to return on assurances he won't be jailed.
"Snowden would be amenable to coming back to the United States for the kind of plea bargain that Gen. Petraeus received," Jesselyn Radack, an attorney for Snowden with the Government Accountability Project, told Politico.
"If Petraeus deserves exceptional treatment because of his service to the nation, then surely the same exception should be offered to Edward Snowden, whose actions have led to a historic global debate that will strengthen free societies," Ben Wizner, another of Snowden's attorneys, said.
"The problem is that leniency is only extended to officials with friends in high places," he said.
Florida Rep. Alan Grayson, an opponent of the mass surveillance programs Snowden exposed, said he doubts the Obama administration will treat Snowden with leniency, despite the fact that "[he] released confidential information in order to bring attention to overwhelming and pervasive constitutional violations."
"Petraeus is part of the club and Snowden is not," he said. "I don't expect the kind of leniency that was shown to someone who is an insider will also be conferred on someone who is an outsider, particularly when you view the administration's abysmal record regarding whistleblowers in general."
