Obama Adviser Cool To Snowden Amnesty

National Security Adviser Susan Rice rejects amnesty for the NSA leaker

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Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the U.N., speaks to the media on April 13, 2012, in New York City

Former NSA contractor and leaker Edward Snowden shouldn’t get amnesty, President Barack Obama’s top national security official said.

“We don’t think that Snowden deserves amnesty,” National Security Adviser Susan Rice said of Snowden, during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes that aired Sunday night. “We believe he should come back, he should be sent back, and he should have his day in court.”

Still, administration officials have kept open the possibility of some amnesty, and Rice didn’t engage when Stahl asked whether refusing him amnesty was worth the potential threat of more leaks that could further damage the United States’ reputation abroad.

“Lesley, you know I’m not going to get into a negotiation with you on camera about something that sensitive,” she said.