Snowden Says Clinton And Sanders Are ‘Refreshing,’ Give Him Hope To Return

Jacob Bojesson

While watching the Oct. 13 Democratic debate from his refuge in Moscow, Edward Snowden got a glimpse of hope for the future.

Edward Snowden commented on the chances of him returning to the U.S. one day in an interview published Friday by Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter. He said the words of Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton made him hopeful that he one may be able to go back to the U.S.

“I watched the debate live. It was very refreshing,” he said. “In 2013 they called for me to get hanged. They used word like ‘traitor’ and expressions like ‘blood on the hands.’ As far as I could tell no one in the panel used those types of words now. In two years it’s a remarkable transformation.”

Sanders particularly defended the former NSA contractor for educating the American people by releasing the classified documents.

“I think Snowden played a very important role in educating the American public … he did break the law, and I think there should be a penalty to that,” Sanders said during the debate.

Republican candidates have generally been more aggressive when asked about Snowden’s actions and how he should be held accountable.

When asked who he would vote for in an election between Clinton and Donald Trump, Snowden declined to answer.

“Haha. If…No, I’m not going to say anything. It’s too infected,” he said.

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