SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A picture of "Anything to Say?", a bronze sculpture and art installation by Italian sculptor Davide Dormino representing whistleblowers (from L) Edward Snowden, Julian Assange, and Chelsea Manning, is seen on the Place des Nations next to the United Nations Offices in Geneva on September 15, 2015. (Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)
Press Freedom and Human Rights Advocates Lament Trump's Denial of Pardons for Assange and Snowden
"Trump gave us one final reminder that he is an enemy of press freedom. Now Biden must decide if he wants to continue Trump's legacy."
Jan 19, 2021
Former President Donald Trump was roundly condemned by advocates of free speech and government transparency on Wednesday for failing to pardon WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden before leaving office, even as he granted clemency to scores of others, including violent criminals and other convicted felons.
"I am not at all disappointed to go unpardoned by a man who has never known a love he had not paid for."
--NSA whistleblower
Edward Snowden
Trump, who campaigned on a dubious promise to "drain the swamp," issued a final flurry of over 140 pardons or commutations, some of whose beneficiaries included corrupt government and business officials, an Israeli colonel who helped recruit an American to spy against the U.S., and his former senior adviser Steve Bannon--who was arrested last August for allegedly defrauding Trump supporters out of tens of millions of dollars.
Trump's latest wave of pardons and commutations followed earlier clemency granted to several war criminals including mercenaries who massacred 17 Iraqi men, women, and children; Republican insiders; former Trump advisers and confidants who refused to cooperate with government investigations; and lesser-known figures including a Maryland police officer who unleashed a German shepherd on an unhoused man looking for a safe place to sleep.
Trump did not extend clemency to either Assange or Snowden, two men whose exposure of U.S. war crimes and other embarrassing--and classified--information infuriated both Republican and Democratic officials. According to CNN:
While he had once entertained the idea, Trump decided against it because he did not want to anger Senate Republicans who will soon determine whether he's convicted during his Senate trial. Multiple GOP lawmakers had sent messages through aides that they felt strongly about not granting clemency to Assange or Snowden.
Snowden--who revealed the global scale of U.S. surveillance and has been exiled in Russia since 2013--said he was not let down by Trump's refusal to pardon him.
"I am not at all disappointed to go unpardoned by a man who has never known a love he had not paid for," Snowden tweeted on Wednesday.
"But what supporters of his remain must never forgive that this simpering creature failed to pardon truth-tellers in far more desperate circumstances," he added, referring to Reality Winner, who in 2018 was sentenced to over five years in prison for leaking an intelligence report detailing Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Snowden had been lobbying for her pardon.
In a separate tweet, Snowden declared, "I would rather be without a state than without a voice."
Supporters of Assange--who earlier this month avoided extradition to the U.S., where he faces up to 170 years in prison if ever convicted of all counts against him--expressed their anger and disappointment in the wake of Trump's decision.
Others noted that the proverbial ball is now in President Joe Biden's court, while still other observers expressed doubt there would be pardons for either Snowden or Assange under the new administration:
Evan Greer, deputy director of the digital rights group Fight for the Future, summarized the thoughts and feelings of many Assange and Snowden supporters around the world when she tweeted: "No matter how you slice it, this is a bad thing for press freedom and human rights globally."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
fight for the futurewar crimeswikileaksedward snowdenhuman rightsbig brothernsajan 6 insurrectionjulian assangewhistleblowerstrumpismjournalismsteve bannonjoe biden
Former President Donald Trump was roundly condemned by advocates of free speech and government transparency on Wednesday for failing to pardon WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden before leaving office, even as he granted clemency to scores of others, including violent criminals and other convicted felons.
"I am not at all disappointed to go unpardoned by a man who has never known a love he had not paid for."
--NSA whistleblower
Edward Snowden
Trump, who campaigned on a dubious promise to "drain the swamp," issued a final flurry of over 140 pardons or commutations, some of whose beneficiaries included corrupt government and business officials, an Israeli colonel who helped recruit an American to spy against the U.S., and his former senior adviser Steve Bannon--who was arrested last August for allegedly defrauding Trump supporters out of tens of millions of dollars.
Trump's latest wave of pardons and commutations followed earlier clemency granted to several war criminals including mercenaries who massacred 17 Iraqi men, women, and children; Republican insiders; former Trump advisers and confidants who refused to cooperate with government investigations; and lesser-known figures including a Maryland police officer who unleashed a German shepherd on an unhoused man looking for a safe place to sleep.
Trump did not extend clemency to either Assange or Snowden, two men whose exposure of U.S. war crimes and other embarrassing--and classified--information infuriated both Republican and Democratic officials. According to CNN:
While he had once entertained the idea, Trump decided against it because he did not want to anger Senate Republicans who will soon determine whether he's convicted during his Senate trial. Multiple GOP lawmakers had sent messages through aides that they felt strongly about not granting clemency to Assange or Snowden.
Snowden--who revealed the global scale of U.S. surveillance and has been exiled in Russia since 2013--said he was not let down by Trump's refusal to pardon him.
"I am not at all disappointed to go unpardoned by a man who has never known a love he had not paid for," Snowden tweeted on Wednesday.
"But what supporters of his remain must never forgive that this simpering creature failed to pardon truth-tellers in far more desperate circumstances," he added, referring to Reality Winner, who in 2018 was sentenced to over five years in prison for leaking an intelligence report detailing Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Snowden had been lobbying for her pardon.
In a separate tweet, Snowden declared, "I would rather be without a state than without a voice."
Supporters of Assange--who earlier this month avoided extradition to the U.S., where he faces up to 170 years in prison if ever convicted of all counts against him--expressed their anger and disappointment in the wake of Trump's decision.
Others noted that the proverbial ball is now in President Joe Biden's court, while still other observers expressed doubt there would be pardons for either Snowden or Assange under the new administration:
Evan Greer, deputy director of the digital rights group Fight for the Future, summarized the thoughts and feelings of many Assange and Snowden supporters around the world when she tweeted: "No matter how you slice it, this is a bad thing for press freedom and human rights globally."
Former President Donald Trump was roundly condemned by advocates of free speech and government transparency on Wednesday for failing to pardon WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden before leaving office, even as he granted clemency to scores of others, including violent criminals and other convicted felons.
"I am not at all disappointed to go unpardoned by a man who has never known a love he had not paid for."
--NSA whistleblower
Edward Snowden
Trump, who campaigned on a dubious promise to "drain the swamp," issued a final flurry of over 140 pardons or commutations, some of whose beneficiaries included corrupt government and business officials, an Israeli colonel who helped recruit an American to spy against the U.S., and his former senior adviser Steve Bannon--who was arrested last August for allegedly defrauding Trump supporters out of tens of millions of dollars.
Trump's latest wave of pardons and commutations followed earlier clemency granted to several war criminals including mercenaries who massacred 17 Iraqi men, women, and children; Republican insiders; former Trump advisers and confidants who refused to cooperate with government investigations; and lesser-known figures including a Maryland police officer who unleashed a German shepherd on an unhoused man looking for a safe place to sleep.
Trump did not extend clemency to either Assange or Snowden, two men whose exposure of U.S. war crimes and other embarrassing--and classified--information infuriated both Republican and Democratic officials. According to CNN:
While he had once entertained the idea, Trump decided against it because he did not want to anger Senate Republicans who will soon determine whether he's convicted during his Senate trial. Multiple GOP lawmakers had sent messages through aides that they felt strongly about not granting clemency to Assange or Snowden.
Snowden--who revealed the global scale of U.S. surveillance and has been exiled in Russia since 2013--said he was not let down by Trump's refusal to pardon him.
"I am not at all disappointed to go unpardoned by a man who has never known a love he had not paid for," Snowden tweeted on Wednesday.
"But what supporters of his remain must never forgive that this simpering creature failed to pardon truth-tellers in far more desperate circumstances," he added, referring to Reality Winner, who in 2018 was sentenced to over five years in prison for leaking an intelligence report detailing Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Snowden had been lobbying for her pardon.
In a separate tweet, Snowden declared, "I would rather be without a state than without a voice."
Supporters of Assange--who earlier this month avoided extradition to the U.S., where he faces up to 170 years in prison if ever convicted of all counts against him--expressed their anger and disappointment in the wake of Trump's decision.
Others noted that the proverbial ball is now in President Joe Biden's court, while still other observers expressed doubt there would be pardons for either Snowden or Assange under the new administration:
Evan Greer, deputy director of the digital rights group Fight for the Future, summarized the thoughts and feelings of many Assange and Snowden supporters around the world when she tweeted: "No matter how you slice it, this is a bad thing for press freedom and human rights globally."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.