NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden Is Now A Registered Russian Taxpayer, RFE/RL Finds

Because Russian bots try to dispute the fact that Snowden is a Russian asset.

Why is this news?

Propaganda

It's crazy how he's not a national hero.

It's really sad the way he got captured in Russia during his escape. I think he rightly believed that was somewhere the US couldn't likely get to him, and he was right, but his understandable fear of US persecution blinded him to the fact that the danger from enemies of the US was just as great.

Putin captured him to use as a pawn against the US and to try to extract any remaining information he could from him and I'm sure at this point he's mostly accomplished that goal. I feel like at this point he is basically a political prisoner and he has to play along and cooperate with the regime to survive, I don't think Putin would ever let him leave even if he was pardoned, he's too useful to keep under his thumb. I hope to be proven wrong and that he escapes someday, whether released legitimately as being past his usefulness, or by fleeing and finding somewhere else to hide, but I'm not optimistic with the state of the world these days.

The cost of whistleblowing can be very high and very permanent, as they are in this case, and no amount of protection will ever make you totally safe from consequences, and that's the way the powers that be like it despite what they may say.

I wouldn't say justified, buuuuuuuuuut where else could he have gone? China is about the only other possibility.

To be clear, I think he should be pardoned, and thing USA-Patriot act should be overturned.