Hanabusa: Let’s Put Edward Snowden on Trial
The congresswoman thinks it’s up to the courts to decide if the former Hawaii resident is a hero or traitor.
Was Edward Snowden, the man who exposed the National Security Agency’s , a hero or a traitor?
That question was posed to U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz and U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa during a debate Monday night on KITV.
While Schatz used the opportunity to highlight his vote against the extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Hanabusa gave a more intriguing response.
A sign notifying people they might be recorded.
Flickr: Mike Mozart
The congresswoman, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, said Snowden should come back to the U.S. from Russia to stand trial.
That way, she said, his peers can judge him for his actions.
“Yes, we learned a lot through what he did, but was he truly a whistleblower?” Hanabusa asked. “Those are decisions that the court system has to determine. … The United States court system will have to make the decision on whether Mr. Snowden is a hero or a criminal.”
She added that Snowden must also return to the U.S. to explain how he, as a private contractor working for the NSA, was able to obtain such sensitive materials.
Schatz, it should be noted, said Snowden is not a hero.
