Kristinn Hrafnsson of Wikileaks visited CNN yesterday, and was summarily scolded by Jeffrey Toobin for an analogy Kristinn drew between whistleblower Edward Snowden and “the Nuremberg principles”.
Kristinn visited CNN’s “Situation Room” to discuss the subject of Edward Snowden being granted clemency for releasing NSA data to media sources, revealing a pervasive and – in the opinion of at least two federal judges – unconstitutional surveillance of not only US citizens, but world leaders as well.
Kristinn argued that even if Snowden’s actions were illegal, they ought to grant him clemency:
“It is justifiable for whistleblowers to break the laws when it serves higher ideals. That is the Nuremberg principles that we should abide by. We have been saying that for years, and now finally The New York Times agrees with us,” referring to an opinion piece published in the New York Times which argued that “President Obama should tell his aides to begin finding a way to end Mr. Snowden’s vilification and give him an incentive to return home.”
Toobin was less than pleased with the invocation of Nuremburg, telling his viewers:
“[He’s] implicitly comparing the actions of the United States here to the Nazis, who, of course, were only following orders like the NSA. That is a grotesque and absurd comparison, and it just shows how crazy these people are … who are supporting Snowden.”
Iceland was, for a time, considered a possible destination for Snowden to seek asylum – but those plans would not come to fruition, and his arrival in Iceland would more than likely lead him to prison.
Kristinn’s segment can be viewed in its entirety below:
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