U.S. IN TALKS WITH SNOWDEN ON POSSIBLE PLEA DEAL --- 'Do you want to be hanged by the neck or shot in the head?"
On Tuesday, June 10, 2014 3:18:43 PM UTC-5, Travis wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > How many Taliban we gonna release this time? > > ============================================================ > > > > > > U.S. IN TALKS WITH SNOWDEN ON POSSIBLE PLEA DEAL > > > http://fortunascorner.com/2014/06/10/u-s-in-talks-with-snowden-on-possible-plea-deal/ > > June 10, 2014 > > > > WASHINGTON FREE BEACON > > > > U.S. in Talks with Snowden on Possible Plea Deal > > > > Former NSA Contractor Currently In Russia > > > > BY: Bill Gertz > > June 10, 2014 5:00 am > > > > Federal prosecutors recently held discussions with representatives of > renegade National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden on a > possible deal involving his return to the United States to face charges of > stealing more than a million secret NSA documents, according to U.S. > officials. > > > > Snowden is currently in Moscow under Russian government protection after > fleeing Hawaii, where he worked in NSA’s Kunia facility, for Hong Kong in > May 2013. U.S. officials have charged him with stealing an estimated 1.7 > million documents from NSA Net and the Joint Worldwide Intelligence > Communications System (JWICS) and providing some materials to news outlets. > > > > Discussions on Snowden’s return were held in the past several weeks > between prosecutors in the Justice Department’s National Security Division > and Plato Cacheris, a long-time Washington defense lawyer who in the past > represented several U.S. spies, including some who reached plea bargains > rather than go to trial. > > > > Cacheris declined to comment when asked about the discussions. “There’s > nothing to report,” he told the Washington Free Beacon. > > > > No details of the discussions could be learned. But the talks focused on a > plea deal that would result in Snowden returning to the United States to > face lesser charges in exchange for returning the large cache of secret > documents, said officials familiar with some aspects of the talks. > > > > A Justice Department spokesman would not comment directly when asked about > discussions on a deal for Snowden. > > > > “It remains our position that Mr. Snowden should return to the United > States and face the charges filed against him,” Marc Raimondi told the Free > Beacon. “If he does, he will be accorded full due process and protections.” > > > > Snowden was charged with three espionage-related offenses in a criminal > complaint unsealed in June 2013. They include theft of government property, > unauthorized communication of national defense information, and willful > communication of classified communications intelligence information to an > unauthorized person. > > > > Intelligence, security, and law enforcement officials are said to be > divided on whether to pursue a plea deal with Snowden, or to continue > seeking legal or intelligence means to bring him to justice. > > > > The former contractor is viewed by supporters, many of them anti-American > leftists and anarchists, as a whistleblower who exposed improper activities > by the agency. His critics regard him as a traitor who damaged U.S. > national security by disclosing NSA surveillance, encryption, and other > sensitive secrets. > > > > NSA Director Michael Rogers said last week he doubted a deal with Snowden > for the return of documents could be worked out. > > > > Asked if he favored amnesty for Snowden in exchange for the return of NSA > documents, Rogers said: “That’s not my decision. But in the digital age > we’re living in, the idea of controlling once it’s out there I think is > very problematic.” > > > > Rogers said the documents may be out of Snowden’s control and thus > difficult to recover. The document cache “certainly doesn’t have the > control I wish it had,” he said during an interview with Bloomberg News > June 3. > > > > Rogers also said he regards Snowden as “arrogant” and believes he > “possibly” could have been a Russian spy, although he added that the former > contractor “probably” is not a recruited Russian agent. > > > > “I fundamentally disagree with what he did,” Rogers said. “I believe it > was wrong, I believe it was illegal.” > > > > Rogers said the NSA has a “fairly good idea” of how many documents were > taken by Snowden, who used a combination of methods to gain access to and > remove the NSA documents, many of them classified at the “top secret” level > and higher. > > > > Snowden told NBC News last month that he does not believe he can receive a > fair trial in the United States. “When people say, ‘Why don’t you go home > and face the music?’ I say you have to understand that the music is not an > open court and a fair trial,” he said. > > > > Snowden said he never intended to end up in Russia and had been booked for > a flight to Cuba and Latin American but was held up in Moscow after the > U.S. government revoked his passport. > > > > Snowden also claimed he destroyed the NSA document cache before arriving > in Russia and denied having access to the digital material from a networked > computer. > > > > “I have no relationship with the Russian government at all,” Snowden said. > “I’m not supported by the Russian government. I’m not taking money from the > Russian government. I’m not a spy, which is the real question.” > > > > Snowden indicated he is prepared to talk to the U.S. government. Asked > when he decided to flee with the documents, Snowden told NBC: “I think > given the ongoing investigation, that’s something better not to get into in > a news interview, but I’d be happy to discuss these things with the [U.S.] > government.” > > > > Michelle Van Cleave, former national counterintelligence executive, a > senior counterspy policymaker, said any deal for Snowden’s return would > likely involve the Russians. > > > > “If the Russians let him go, it will be because they’ve already gotten all > the million-plus secret documents he stole,” Van Cleave said. “So what > would be in it for us? I am tired of watching Putin play us for fools. If > Snowden wants out of Moscow, he should surrender and face justice for the > terrible crimes he has committed.” > > > > In a related development, Snowden’s Russian lawyer told a state-run > Russian news agency last week that his client is preparing to extend his > stay in Moscow beyond the current asylum period ending in August. > > > > Anatoly Kucherena, the lawyer, said he and Snowden were working on > extending his status, Interfax reported June 4. > > > > Snowden told Brazil’s Globo television June 1 that he would like to > relocate to Brazil. “The period of asylum granted to me by Russia ends at > the beginning of August. If Brazil offered me asylum I would accept with > pleasure,” Snowden was quoted as saying. “I would very much like to live in > Brazil.” > > > > U.S. intelligence and security officials had indicated earlier they are > open to dealing with Snowden. > > > > Rick Leggett, head of a special NSA task force in charge of the Snowden > leaks, told CBS’ 60 Minutes in December that offering some type of legal > deal to Snowden in exchange for the return of classified NSA documents is > “worth having a conversation about.” > > > > Michael Daniel, the White House cybersecurity director, then said in a > speech to the U.S. Naval Academy in March that he is open to discussions > with Snowden to learn the full extent of the compromised NSA material. > > > > “I think it would be very valuable for us to actually understand in much > greater detail everything that was taken,” Daniel said. > > > > NSA Director Army Gen. Keith Alexander, before he retired as head of the > agency, voiced opposition to a deal for Snowden’s return. > > > > “This is analogous to a hostage-taker taking 50 people hostage, shooting > 10 and then say, ‘If you give me full amnesty, I’ll let the other 40 go.’ > What do you do?” Alexander said, also on CBS. “I think people have to be > held accountable for their actions.” > > > > Raimondi, the Justice Department spokesman, noted that Attorney General > Eric Holder has said Snowden is “not a whistleblower.” > > > > “He is accused of leaking classified information and there is no question > his actions have inflicted serious harms on our national security,” > Raimondi said. > > > > President Obama was asked about Snowden during an NBC interview Friday and > said he would not comment on the specifics of the case. But Obama noted > that the leaks “had a very significant impact on our intelligence > operations around the world; had a grave impact on a number of our > diplomatic relationships; compromised our ability to gain insight into some > of the work that our adversaries do.” > > > > “There’s no doubt that this is an area of legitimate debate,” Obama said > of NSA activities. “And I think there are patriots on both sides who > recognize, on the one hand, we’ve got to make sure that our eyes and ears > are open for potential threats. What’s also true is we got to make sure not > only that our privacy is protected, but that the manner in which our > intelligence services operate internationally comports with our values and > our ideas.” > > > > Daniel, special assistant to the president for cyber security, said in a > speech March 28 that the Snowden damage will persist for decades. > > > > “Make no mistake: We are going to be dealing with the fallout from that > for all of your careers, and the impact that that has had on our national > security will reverberate for decades,” Daniel told Naval Academy > midshipmen. > > > > Snowden disclosures reveal U.S. electronic spying targets along with > “techniques and tools that are no longer available to us,” Daniel said. > > > > > > > > > > > __._,_.___ > ------------------------------ > Posted by: "Beowulf" <[email protected] <javascript:>> > ------------------------------ > > > Visit Your Group > <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/grendelreport/info;_ylc=X3oDMTJmZGRodTkyBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzIwMTk0ODA2BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTMyMzY2NwRzZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2Z2hwBHN0aW1lAzE0MDI0Mjc2NDQ-> > > > > [image: Yahoo! Groups] > <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo;_ylc=X3oDMTJlbnFkZXU4BF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkAzIwMTk0ODA2BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTMyMzY2NwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNnZnAEc3RpbWUDMTQwMjQyNzY0NA--> > > • Privacy <https://info.yahoo.com/privacy/us/yahoo/groups/details.html> • > Unsubscribe <javascript:> • Terms of Use > <https://info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/utos/terms/> > > __,_._,___ > > > -- -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "PoliticalForum" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
