House Armed Services Committee leaders say that President Donald Trump would be making a "serious mistake" by pardoning Edward Snowden, the former CIA contractor charged with espionage for stealing and leaking classified information on U.S. surveillance programs.
In a joint statement Monday, Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the committee chairman, and Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, the ranking member, said a pardon for the 37-year-old Snowden would "completely undermine this administration's position and mock our national security workforce, who take immense caution in their work to keep us safe."