MOSCOW (Sputnik) — US President Barack Obama's claim that he could not pardon NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden since he did not come before the court contradicts the truth, WikiLeaks said on Sunday.
"When Obama says he 'can't' pardon @Snowden he is not telling the truth and knows he is not telling the truth," the whisleblowing website's team posted on Twitter.
When Obama says he "can't" pardon @Snowden he is not telling the truth and knows he is not telling the truth https://t.co/os7HfoIJID
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) 20 ноября 2016 г.
In an interview with German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel, the US president claimed he could not pardon somebody "who hasn't gone before a court and presented themselves."
In 2013, Snowden leaked classified documents pertaining to mass surveillance practices carried out by US authorities around the globe. In August 2014, Snowden received a three-year residence permit to live in Russia. In the United States, he faces up to 30 years in prison on charges of espionage and theft of government property.
