“Under the new president, as the news today says, the new CIA director [Mike Pompeo] is an individual who believes that dissidents such as myself should be put to death, they believe that it is the appropriate solution to disagreeing with the government.”

Edward Snowden

“President-elect Trump’s transition to power is reshaping American government, and the worlds of cybersecurity and surveillance are no exception. A congressman who’s called for Snowden’s execution may soon lead the CIA. The director of national intelligence is out, and the head of the NSA may take his place. And a senator with a horrifying record on civil liberties, particularly privacy and online surveillance could soon helm the Department of Justice.”

WIRED

“In some ways, I do think [leaking has] accelerated. I think there is a phenomenon, the worship of Edward Snowden, and those who steal American secrets for the purpose of self-aggrandizement or money or for whatever their motivation may be, does seem to be on the increase.”

CIA Director Mike Pompeo — June 24 2017

“If Assange can be prosecuted merely for publishing leaked classified documents, every single media outlet is at risk of prosecution for doing the exact same thing. There would be no way to differentiate a traditional media outlet such as The New York Times or The Atlantic from an entity like WikiLeaks without involving the government and the courts in the formulation of a legal definition of what qualifies as a part of the press. Is it only a traditional outlet like a newspaper or a television network? What about legal bloggers who do freelance work? Or how about online-only platforms? Is one more deserving of First Amendment protection than the other? This is not something I want the government deciding in a criminal context.”

Bradley P. Moss — Deputy executive director of the James Madison Project  (November 19 2018)

November 19 2016 — During a Q&A in Oslo via a video link from Moscow on Friday November 18 2016, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden said the new director of the CIA — Mike Pompeo — under the Trump administration believes that “dissidents such as myself” should be put to death. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

RELATED POST: One Year Ago — CIA Director Blames “Worship of Edward Snowden” for Rise in Leaks

RELATED POST: Former CIA Boss Michael Hayden: ‘Millennials don’t understand loyalty and secrecy’

RELATED POST: US Whistleblowers — Test your ‘Spy’ knowledge with our quiz!

RELATED POST: Obama’s Crackdown on National Security Leaks

RELATED POST: SNOWDEN: Trailer & ‘Behind The Scenes’

UPDATE (November 19 2018) — In June 2017, Mike Pompeo, the then director of the CIA, blames the “worship” of leakers such as Edward Snowden for a rise in the public disclosure of US intelligence.

MSNBC’s Hugh Hewitt asked Pompeo about whether US intel is safe “in the era of Snowden” where more and more people are leaking American secrets.

Pompeo reiterated his strong criticisms of “non-state hostile intelligence services” like WikiLeaks.

Pompeo said he’s concerned by a “worship of Edward Snowden and those who steal American secrets for the purposes of self-aggrandizement or money.”

Last week, we learned that U.S. prosecutors are preparing to pursue a criminal case against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

Because the indictment is sealed, the nature of any charges against Assange has not been made public.

Many experts believe that charging Assange could be very dangerous for serious journalism. Marcy Wheeler has reviewed the four theories DOJ might use to charge Assange.

Bradley P. Moss — Deputy executive director of the James Madison Project — just wrote a piece — Julian Assange Isn’t Worth It — published by the Atlantic.

One may, or may not, agree with his views on Assange. But surely, you should better think twice before you disagree with his conclusion.

“If the U.S. government can prosecute the WikiLeaks editor for publishing classified material, then every media outlet is at risk.” Think about that…

END of UPDATE

FACTS –Indeed, Mike Pompeo believes Edward Snowden is a traitor who deserves a death sentence. Here are the facts.

On the intelligence committee, Pompeo has taken a particularly hard-line stance on how to treat NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.

After Snowden’s allies began a campaign to get him pardoned, the entire House Select Committee on Intelligence wrote a letter to President Barack Obama urging against a pardon.

The letter said Snowden was no whistle-blower, but rather a “serial exaggerator and fabricator.”

At that time, Pompeo issued his own press release, calling Snowden a “liar and a criminal,” who deserves “prison rather than pardon.” [ARSTECNICA]

In a C-SPAN interview earlier this year, Pompeo went further, stating:

“He should be brought back from Russia and given due process, and I think the proper outcome would be that he would be given a death sentence.

Having put friends of mine, friends of yours who serve in the military today an enormous risk because of the information he stole and then released to foreign powers.”

Global role of the US government

Snowden also commented on the global role of the US government, stating:

“I don’t think it’s controversial to say the United States government is the most powerful government in the history of the world. We have never seen a state with this much influence.”

INTERVIEW

REFERENCES

Trump’s pick for CIA director has called for Snowden’s execution — ARSTECNICA

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SNOWDEN: CIA Director Wants Dissidents Like Me Put to Death

Two Years Ago — SNOWDEN : “CIA Director Wants Dissidents Like Me Put to Death”