Lon Snowden, Edward Snowden’s father, received his visa and is planning a trip to Russia to visit his son who is accused of espionage after leaking sensitive material while working for a U.S. government contractor.
Lon Snowden’s attorney, Bruce Fein, announced that Snowden would travel on an undisclosed date to see his son and planned to
advise him about criminal defense attorneys who may help in the espionage case, Reuters said.
Urgent: Should Obamacare be Repealed? Vote Here Now
Edward Snowden flew to Russia and was held in the Moscow airport for five weeks before the country’s officials finally granted him asylum on Aug. 1.
CBS News reported that the elder Snowden is concerned his son won’t be able to get a fair trial in the United States.
The CBS article explored the challenges of how to classify Edward Snowden’s actions, which have been controversial in the United States. Although many have called him a traitor for revealing the National Security Administration’s examination of citizens' data, he also has been called a “whistleblower” for revealing information that put many Americans up in arms.
On "Face the Nation," former CIA and NSA director Gen. Michael Hayden said, “Traitor is narrowly defined in the Constitution. ... We used to have a word for somebody who stole our secrets, who got the job to steal our secrets and then he moved with those secrets to a foreign country, and made those secrets public. It wasn’t a whistleblower it was a defector. And I actually think that’s a very good word for him.”
Edward Snowden’s actions brought extreme criticism to the Obama administration and the government for spying on U.S. citizens.
But some people feel as if he shouldn’t be charged with any crime.
Latest: Do You Support Giving Illegals Citizenship? Vote Here Now
Related stories:
Snowden Lawyer: 'Russia Will Not Hand Him Over' to US
Rep. Peter King: Edward Snowden Is Pulling Obama’s 'Puppet Strings'
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.