Pardon Edward Snowden Petition Reaches 100,000 Threshold

The Obama White House received another blow with the public petition to Pardon Edward Snowden hitting the 100,000 milestone.

Pardon Edward Snowden petition was created on June 9, 2013 after it became known that Snowden was the fearless leaker of information on the U.S. National Security Agency’s illegal spying on the American people.

The Right to Petition the government is guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Pardon Edward Snowden petition reads:

Edward Snowden is a national hero and should be immediately issued a a full, free, and absolute pardon for any crimes he has committed or may have committed related to blowing the whistle on secret NSA surveillance programs.

What Happens Next

By convention, the White House must now respond to the petition since it has reached the 100,000 signature threshold.

Responses to the petition usually come from administration officials including White House personnel.

In rare instances, President Obama responds directly to petitions that reach the 100,000 signature threshold.

But I doubt Obama has the courage or backbone to respond directly in this instance since he’s the one who’s ordered/continued illegal spying on American citizens.

Although no time limit has been set for the response, the White House has promised to “do our best to respond to petitions that cross the signature threshold in a timely fashion.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. Justice Department has filed a complaint in a Virginia court charging Snowden with espionage and theft of government property.

No Response Possible

But the White House also has wiggle room not to respond to petitions even if they cross the 100,000 signature mark.

The White House web site says:

In a few rare cases (such as specific procurement, law enforcement, or adjudicatory matters), the White House response might not address the facts of a particular matter to avoid exercising improper influence.

American Hero Won’t get Pardoned

In a million years, Edward Snowden will not receive a pardon.

Right now, U.S. intelligence agents must be plotting to somehow extradite Snowden to U.S. soil so that he can be punished.

In the pantheon of American heroes, Edward Snowden stands high for his courage in exposing the illegal practices of U.S. National Security Agency in recording phone calls, collecting e-mails, monitoring browsing patterns of Americans and other modes of illegal surveillance.