NBC: Russia considers sending us Snowden as a "gift"

[brooklynite]

Charlie J. Johnson @Charliemagne
NBC sources: Russia has considered turning Edward Snowden over to the White House

[Cha]

1. Russia Considers Returning Snowden to U.S. to Curry Favor With Trump: Official

U.S. intelligence has collected information that Russia is considering turning over Edward Snowden as a "gift" to President Donald Trump — who has called the NSA leaker a "spy" and a "traitor" who deserves to be executed.

That's according to a senior U.S. official who has analyzed a series of highly sensitive intelligence reports detailing Russian deliberations and who says a Snowden handover is one of various ploys to "curry favor" with Trump. A second source in the intelligence community confirms the intelligence about the Russian conversations and notes it has been gathered since the inauguration.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/russia-eyes-sending-snowden-u-s-gift-trump-official-n718921?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma

[Hortensis]

4. Too clever of Putin! Like pouring vinegar into boiling water.

We're outside viewers, but 45'll likely be too ignorant to know to head this off. Like Jerusalem. What an idiot.

[Me.]

6. Precisely

[Cha]

13. More from the article..

"Former deputy national security adviser Juan Zarate urged the Trump administration to be cautious in accepting any Snowden offer from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"For Russia, this would be a win-win. They've already extracted what they needed from Edward Snowden in terms of information and they've certainly used him to beat the United States over the head in terms of its surveillance and cyber activity," Zarate said.

"It would signal warmer relations and some desire for greater cooperation with the new administration, but it would also no doubt stoke controversies and cases in the U.S. around the role of surveillance, the role of the U.S. intelligence community, and the future of privacy and civil liberties in an American context."

[Hortensis]

15. Umhm. It occurred to me to wonder if perhaps Putin

might also see this all these real issues as a way of muddying the waters and distracting attention to a Snowden controversy as 45 at least lightens our sanctions on Russia. Both Russia and Exxon are no doubt eager to get $1B plus in oil unlocked as soon as possible, but with Exxon's CEO as our new SoS, the situation needs some finessing.

In any case, it does seem like a possible win-win for Putin, including if we do end up outraged and roiling over Trump/Tillerson/Putin. People can only be outraged so much and over a limited number of issues.

[Cha]

16. It would be quite the distraction.. so yeah

I think you're right, Hortensis

[Hortensis]

17. Follow the money? :) With THESE people involved,

it's hard to imagine we'd go wrong leaping straight to the money, not need to "follow"it, as a first-order consideration. And reportedly Putin really needs it--an existential issue.

[gordianot]

2. Maybe a head on a platter or all trussed up like a pig?

[HoneyBadger]

3. Snowden needs a pardon

Everything that he did was for America.

[KittyWampus]

5. If you're a Putin stooge that nonsense works. I can't believe you'd post that

without a sarcasm tag.

[HoneyBadger]

10. The ACLU stands with Snowden

I stand with the ACLU. Do you?

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, George Soros, founder and chair of the Open Society Foundations, Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, Timothy Edgar, former director at the Obama White House National Security Staff, Maggie Gyllenhaal, actor, Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, Michael Stipe, musician, Teju Cole, writer, Melvin Goodman, former CIA division chief and senior analyst, Bruce Ackerman, Yale Law School professor, Eve Ensler, writer, and Daniel Radcliffe, actor do....in addition to Eric Holder and Barack Obama, pretty impressive. Wow!!!!

https://www.aclu.org/blog/speak-freely/obama-should-pardon-edward-snowden-today-were-launching-campaign-make-it-happen

[Cha]

12. Nah

[rug]

7. Trump is reducing diplomacy to the Middle Ages.

[SaschaHM]

8. I see that he deleted his tweet claiming that 2016 was a choice between Goldman Sachs and Trump.

Now he's close to being executed(or locked away forever) to curry political favor.

He's also been criticizing Russia more lately so my guess is they're trying to kill two birds with one stone.

Link to tweet

[Cha]

11. Oh really? he bought into the stupid "goldman-sachs propaganda and

he feels foolish enough to delete it.

Thanks for the info, Sascha

[sunonmars]

9. that would just about confirm everyones suspicions.

[Jamaal510]

14. Snowden has

just about served his purpose for them, so I'm not shocked by this.

[UTUSN]

18. That otta put a nail from pootin in drumpf's coffin!1