OPENING STATEMENT
Today we will prove to you without a doubt that Mr. Snowden broke protocol, took the law into his own hands and decided to trade his allegiance to the United States of America for a personal crusade. Justice must be upheld to confirm what is already obvious — Mr. Snowden is guilty of theft of government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information and willful communication of classified intelligence information to an unauthorized person. Let me remind you this trial should not be clouded by your feelings about the content of the information Mr. Snowden revealed. Also, whistleblower protection should not be considered, as Mr. Snowden revealed information that revealed no illegal activity. He broke the law and there are consequences for his crimes. It’s as simple as that.
EXAMINATIONS
The following questions will be posed by the Prosecution:
Edward Snowden
- When you worked for the NSA, did you steal government documents?
- When you worked for the NSA, did you communicate national defense documents to unauthorized persons?
- When you worked for the NSA, did you WILLFULLY communicate classified documents to unauthorized persons?
- How long did you wait between sending the whistleblower emails and leaking documents?
Expert Witness Title: Agent from the National Security Agency
- How does the National Security Agency protect the citizens of the United States?
- I am handing you a copy of Presidential Policy Directive PPD-19. Can you tell me what this directive is about?
- Who is protected under this directive?
- To the best of your knowledge, did Mr. Snowden attempt to report what he considered the NSA’s wrongdoing to anyone within the NSA?
- Is the NSA subjected to regulatory oversight?
Expert Witness Title: Whistleblower Expert
- A whistleblower is a person that reveals illicit, illegal activity about an organization? Yes or no.
- Snowden’s revelations didn’t reveal any illegal activity. By definition, then he wouldn’t qualify for whistleblower protection, correct?
- Since Mr. Snowden didn’t follow the correct protocol to report a complaint under the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act, how does he qualify for protection?
CLOSING STATEMENTS
Edward Snowden is on trial today. He is on trial because he took the law into his own hands. The NSA is not on trial. However distasteful we may find the NSA’s activity, the fact remains that their activity was not illegal. Mr. Snowden’s activity was, whatever his intentions, against the law. He has admitted to communicating national defense documents. He has admitted to communicating classified documents to unauthorized persons. He has been charged with stealing government property, which he denies, on the grounds that it is not theft, because “they did it first.” This argument has no legal standing. Further, it is the argument of a child and has no place in a court of law.
Mr. Snowden committed the most serious compromise of classified information in the history of the U.S. intelligence community. Is he a trained intelligence agent? No. Does he have training in law, diplomacy, or public policy? No. He may regard himself as a modern-day Robin Hood, stealing information from the government to give to the people. But that is not what he is. His theft of, and wholesale, indiscriminate dumping of, classified information had catastrophic consequences. He jeopardized our national security. He exposed your records to widespread public scrutiny. He broke the law, he has admitted he broke the law, and he must be found guilty of breaking the law.