The New Hampshire Liberty Forum drew hundreds of people to Manchester for a question-and-answer session with Edward Snowden.
Click here to view News 9 s report.1
Although some people call Snowden a traitor, local libertarians said he s a hero. The contractor-turned-whistleblower revealed details of government surveillance programs in 2013. The line stretched out the door.
The government was warrantlessly and unconstitutionally spying on billions of people around the world and millions of people in America, and he let people know, said Carla Gericke of the Free State Project.
Snowden appeared via Skype from Russia, and organizers did not allow the media to video record his remarks. In a 45-minute session, Snowden said although some of his former colleagues at the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency were sympathetic to his values, there were others who said the Constitution doesn t really matter who would literally say, Who cares?
As you heard him say, in his own department, they said the Fourth Amendment s irrelevant, we ve got to go catch the bad guys. And of course, we want to catch the bad guys, but our rights still matter, Ken Stanton said.
Snowden said he would accept extradition to the United States under certain circumstances.
I ve told the government I would return if they would guarantee a fair trial where I can make a public interest defense of why this was done and allow a jury to decide, Snowden said.
He remains an active patriot, an American citizen, despite the fact he s trapped in Russia, said Jim Rubens, a former Republican state senator. Snowden addressed the awkward fact of his existence as a celebrated whistleblower while being sheltered from U.S. law enforcement by authoritarian Russia since 2013.
He said he never intended to go there.
The United States criticizes me for being in Russia, but at the same time, they won t let me leave, he said.
Snowden faces several charges of stealing government property and violating the Espionage Act.
References
- ^ Click here to view News 9 s report. (www.wmur.com)
- ^ Download the free WMUR app (www.wmur.com)