Former US Attorney General Eric Holder, who was the one who initially wanted to put Edward Snowden in jail, said that the former CIA did a public service when he leaked highly-classified documents.
The Verge reported that Holder still thinks that Snowden's decision to leak the classified documents was illegal and inappropriate and that the way that Snowden did what he did is still arguable. However, he claims that Snowden "actually performed a public service" as his move raised the debate on the government's surveillance programs as well as changes were made on these platforms.
The latest comments of Holder come as a surprise as he initially wanted Snowden to plead guilty if he wanted to talk with U.S. authorities. Holder added in his latest statement that a judge handling the case should consider the fact that the documents being leaked has been useful in the national debate. He also suggested that Holder's jail time should be reduced as his actions were helpful.
CNET also reported that despite his latest comments regarding how useful Snowden was, he still thinks that the former government employee has broken the law so he needs to get his lawyers and come back to the United States. He added, "Go to trial, try to cut a deal. I think there has to be a consequence for what he has done."
The Christian Science Monitor also said that the comments of Holder are far from those of the Obama administration. The Obama administration said that Snowden is not a patriot and his National Security Agency leaks compromised the White House. These comments were made back in August 2013. Holder still, however, thinks that Snowden harmed the interests of the Americans as well as put other CIA agents at risk.
In a videoconference just this February, Snowden talked to a crowd in New Hampshire. He said back then that he would only return to the United States if and only if the government guaranteed him a fair trial.
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