[RogtamBar]

He already has a medal, very likely.

He revealed what everyone interested was already suspecting. The reason Russia shelters him is that he was working for them. It's a reward, and one they have to give out, otherwise no on smart would cooperate with them.

If he wasn't a former Russian agent, it'd be better for them letting America make an example of him, because what would make US look worse than jailing for life someone who is widely considered a hero by a good fraction of population.

[coldtea]

>He revealed what everyone interested was already suspecting. The reason Russia shelters him is that he was working for them

Yeah, Russia (e.g. not USSR, but the present second-tier world player) has so many spies in the US, including in major government agencies, and people affecting internal politics and decision making so much.

/s

It's time people understand that not all nations are alike or of the same power -- there is a single global bully who gets to do whatever they like and influence whatever it wants mostly unchecked and mostly unchallenged. And it's neither Russia, nor China. China has meddle somewhat in Asia, but it hasn't been in war or toppling governments and setting up Banana Republics at Europe or Latin America or Africa. Others had.

The only enemy to this single power, if it can even be called that, since unlike 99.9% of actual enemies in actual history it hasn't done to it an iota of damage statistically speaking, is the fanatic islamists -- random people from 20+ countries, including goat herders, conspiring, without even a single nation state daring to openly support them. In fact, their biggest supporter, state wise, is also in bed with the single power. Go figure.

[CapitalistCartr]

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. You've given none, only speculation. He claims to be in Russia out of necessity, which is likely; can you show otherwise?

[strictnein]

Come on, you're acting like he celebrated his birthday at the Russian consulate in Hong Kong and then stayed there for a couple of days until the Russians secretly transported him to the airport for his flight to Russia.

Oh, wait, that is what happened.

[coldtea]

LOL, because where else would he go? Some western country in bed with the US, or some third world place where people mysteriously "disappear" and anything can happen?

[saynsedit]

Putin was behind this, I knew it!

[fixermark]

That theory is incompatible with the theory that he's actually a deep-cover CIA agent acting to very publicly and internationally embarrass their rival department---the NSA---whom they feel has gathered too much power and overstepped its Constitutional authority.

Given the lack of evidence to support either theory, I choose to believe my conspiracy theory because I like it better. ;)

[rrggrr]

This is ridiculous. Read The Human Factor by Ishmael Jones and see if you still think there's even the remotest of possibilities this is true.

[fixermark]

You can't trust a former CIA operative to be truthful about the operational deficiencies of the CIA! That book is just chaff thrown to confuse foreign intelligence services, luring them into a false sense of security about the CIA's imagined weaknesses...

(The fun thing about conspiracy theories is bending them to account for new facts with increasingly twisted, interally-consistent logic ;) )

[cmiles74]

It's not at all clear to me why another country would have their agent publicly disclose his findings to journalists and newspapers before returning home to safety. IMHO, this makes zero sense.