Snowden, About to Be a Dad, Makes a Big Move

Whistleblower applies for Russian citizenship
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 2, 2020 7:52 AM CST
Snowden, About to Be a Dad, Makes a Big Move
In this 2015 file photo, Edward Snowden appears on a live video feed broadcast from Moscow.   (AP Photo/Marco Garcia, File)

Edward Snowden is due to become a father before the end of the year, a development that just prompted a big announcement from the exiled whistleblower. He's applying for Russian citizenship, reports Reuters. "After years of separation from our parents, my wife and I have no desire to be separated from our son," he tweeted. "That's why, in this era of pandemics and closed borders, we're applying for dual US-Russian citizenship." Snowden's American wife, Lindsay Mills, is due to give birth sometime in December, per the Washington Post.

"Lindsay and I will remain Americans, raising our son with all of the values of the America we love—including the freedom to speak his mind," Snowden wrote. "And I look forward to the day I can return to the States, so the whole family can be reunited." The US wants to try Snowden on espionage charges for leaking classified information on American surveillance, but he doesn't think he'll get a fair trial. In August, President Trump suggested he might pardon Snowden, the New York Times reported. (Russia has said Snowden can stay as long as he wants.)

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