Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal Government should drop all charges against Edward Snowden.
This is a nonbinding House resolution (H. Res. 34) introduced in the 119th Congress expressing the House’s sense that the federal government should drop all charges against Edward Snowden. It frames Snowden’s disclosures about the National Security Agency’s bulk telephone-records program as in the public interest and asserts that the program was illegal and unconstitutional. The resolution also cites various court rulings and prior statements regarding surveillance overreach, and it temporarily assigns the issue to the Judiciary and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence for consideration. Because it is a resolution expressing opinion, it does not itself change laws or create enforceable obligations; its impact is primarily political and symbolic, signaling a shift in House sentiment that could influence debates, oversight, or future legislation.
Key Points
- 1It is a nonbinding resolution expressing the sense of the House that the federal government should drop all charges against Edward Snowden.
- 2It asserts that the NSA bulk collection of Americans’ telephone records was illegal and unconstitutional, and that Snowden’s disclosure of this program was in the public interest.
- 3It provides historical context, noting Snowden’s 2013 disclosures, the subsequent DOJ charges under the Espionage Act and for theft, and related public and legal findings about the surveillance programs.
- 4It cites court rulings (e.g., 2nd Circuit in 2015 and 9th Circuit in 2020) related to bulk collection and its relation to criminal or constitutional questions, framing accountability and civil liberties concerns as justification for clemency.
- 5It directs the measure to the Judiciary Committee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence for consideration, but emphasizes that, as a resolution, it does not modify law or create legal rights to drop charges.