Former NSA officer Edward Snowden took to Twitter on Wednesday to state that he does not regret the consequences of his actions.
The notorious whistleblower took to social media the same day Joe Biden was sworn in on the Bible as the 46th president of the United States, succeeding Donald Trump in the office. It was highly anticipated by many supporters that the latter would grant clemency to Snowden in the last hours of his presidency, but failed to do so.
"I would rather be without a state than without a voice," Snowden tweeted on Wednesday, apparently referring to him leaking highly classified information about US and UK surveillance programs, which targeted both ordinary people and top-ranking politicians, including in allied countries.
I would rather be without a state than without a voice.
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) January 20, 2021
Earlier in the day, he claimed he was not upset that former President Trump had not issued a pardon for him, since failing to pardon "truth-tellers" should cause disappointment among Trump's supporters, according to Snowden.
I am not at all disappointed to go unpardoned by a man who has never known a love he had not paid for. But what supporters of his remain must never forgive that this simpering creature failed to pardon truth-tellers in far more desperate circumstances:https://t.co/luyYyBViYE
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) January 20, 2021
No Pardon for Snowden Among 73 Trump Clemencies
On Wednesday, during the last hours of Trump's presidency, the final list of people given a pardon or commutation by Trump before his departure from office was published by the White House. The list included a total of 73 pardons and 70 prison commutations, including that of Trump's former advisor, Steve Bannon, lawyer Paul Erickson, and former Uber executive Anthony Levandowski, as well as rappers Lil Wayne and Kodiak Black.
The list of clemencies did not include the names of Snowden and another world-famous whistleblower, Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange, who is currently in custody in a UK prison awaiting an appeal on the court's decision not to deport him for prosecution in the US, facing accusations that may lead him to a 175-year sentence.
The pardon of the latter was reportedly advocated by prominent American politicians and quite openly by public figures, including Snowden himself, who said in December that only Trump can save the life of the persecuted Assange.
In 2013, Snowden leaked highly classified sensitive data on surveillance systems in the UK and the UK, which happened to be of great concern to both ordinary citizens and top officials, including those in allied countries. He had to spend one month in Russia's Sheremetyevo International Airport after his passport was revoked, as the Russian authorities reviewed the case of granting him asylum. A three-year residence permit was subsequently granted to him in August 2014 and a permanent residence permit in October 2020.
In December, Snowden declared that he and his wife would apply for US-Russian dual citizenship.
