[ry_ry]

https://mobile.twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/4573149344...

Were he to try to return to US soil, I'm not sure Snowden would be able to rely on that being much more than a legal technicality. Especially with the current Russian climate.

He has enemies within the state department, which amounts to the same thing, and any public trial would be at best politically charged.

[mikejb]

That's orthogonal, but yeah, whistleblowers aren't very well protected. They're often still charged with laws aimed against spies, which is ridiculous. The state's aim in these cases is to set an example, and avoid people being inspired to do the same. (My 'favorite' example is John Kiriakou - the only person (I'm aware of) to go to prison for the US' torture program. The one who publicized it.)