Schumer: Putin ‘aiding and abetting Snowden’s escape’
(CNN) – Russian President Vladimir Putin is harming his county’s relationship with the United States by allowing NSA leaker Edward Snowden to land in Moscow, Sen. Chuck Schumer charged on Sunday.
The New York Democrat also suggested China’s leadership had influenced Hong Kong’s decision to allow Snowden to leave there, despite his outstanding espionage charges from the United States.
“I have a feeling the hand of Beijing was involved here,” Schumer told chief political correspondent Candy Crowley on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “What's infuriating here is … Putin of Russia aiding and abetting Snowden's escape. The bottom line is very simple. Allies are supposed to treat each other in decent ways, and Putin always seems almost eager to put a finger in the eye of the United States.”
Snowden - who leaked information about top secret government surveillance programs - left Hong Kong on Sunday "through a lawful and normal channel," the Hong Kong government said. He later touched down in Moscow, according to WikiLeaks, which helped him leave Hong Kong, though Russia was not expected to be his final destination.
The U.S. had initially asked Hong Kong to extradite Snowden, and a Justice Department spokesman said Sunday it would continue working to have Snowden returned to the United States.
On CNN, Schumer claimed Putin - who has also opposed U.S. actions in Syria - was continuing an anti-United States streak that could damage the two countries’ relationship.
“Very few are the areas in which he does cooperate these days,” Schumer said of Putin, who he suggested had personally approved Snowden’s landing in Moscow. “I think this action, Putin allowing Snowden to land in Russia and then go somewhere else, is going to have serious consequences for the U.S.-Russian relationship.”
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lesson folks, they're some things that have to be kept secret, because if people in the country knows what the government is doing to keep us safe, then other countries and our enemies will know, and that safety thing just got thrown out the window. every thing in this world is not black and white and everything is not meant to be transparent. if you guys going around shouting civil liberties and all these other stuff, and then cause the enemy to find a chink in our protective armor then does something the scale or beyond the 9/11 disaster. i wonder if those same people will be the ones that shouting on the top of their lungs that the government didn't do their best to save their citizens.
As a progressive mostly liberal I say screw Russia! Schumer is absolutely right in his assessment of Putin. He is no alli of the United States. Emphasis on United!!!
Well, it is no secret that Putin is no fan of Obama.
We need to levy a COST on both Russia and China for their actions in the Snowden case. Putin has miscalculated and will hurt his countrymen because Americans will cool to all things Russian Steven Segal can`t help you Vladamir.
Mr. Obama, whatever Russia & China wants DENY it.
First he runs to Communist China, then to Communist Russia (they're not really a Democracy), and people still want to call Snowden a "hero" and a "patriot"? I have two more words for you, Communist sympathizers.
I have to LOL, there is on lovefest going on with the USA and Russia. Putin scolds the USA for giving arms to the rebels in Syria, while he sells them to Syria to kill their own people.
Putin wants to show his supporters still we lived in Cold war era simple Idiot
I hate schumer the fruit cake clown, deport schumer
putin has little man syndrome and needs to run around with his shirt off to show how strong he is. Russia would do better without him. Snowden has done a disservice to the American people by going to Russia and pitting Russia and China against the US.
Oh boo hoo! How many people wanted by Russia (among others) are living comfortably in London and DC and Israel?
It's official, Snowden is a man without a country.
I had some hope he'd just come back, but
If Wikilinks is footing the bill for his travel expenses, probably to Iceland via Moscow, this is bad.
The Democrats should have used their heads on this-before their threats scared him
Away. He should have been able to come home-at the outset of this-with some impunity to defend his actions. Now, whatever he has might end up on Wikilinks.
So much for Obama’s Reset Policy with (foreign) countries.
China (and Hong Kong), Russia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Cuba etc. “are eager to put a finger in the eye of the United States.”
– U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer
Every country in the world now knows that Obama is extremely weak. Countries can do whatever they want knowing that Obama will only say, “You will face extreme consequences,” and Obama will do nothing.
Obama is extremely successful in executing his goal of destroying the U.S.A. — from within.
Russia being spied upon by Britain our staunch ally who are now exposed as hacking into global communications including China. And we expect them to to toe our line. And when they don't we get irked. Where mostly the defectors & dissidents from these countries are comfortably residing now, any guesses??
In this case which side should be accused of 'espionage'?
Wake up folks.
He, Snowden, has a country with free room and board. All he has to do is come and get it. As far as China and Russia is concerned, they are doing the same thing. Anyone who thinks otherwise. Do you think China or Russia would allow this TRAITORI to work with there top secret infoormation. I THINK NOT.
Was Russia trying to put out an eye when they warned us of the Tsarneav brothers? ~Obama is arming B52's with nuclear bombs, yet telling the rest of the world to denuke themselves. It bothers me, the overwhelming lack of civiltry or respect be shown, for individualality, as a people and as a nation, both here and abroad. Double Standards? What happened to our whistleblower laws? BTW, my opine, Snowden was merely the messenger, his actions did not threaten national security, the Prism program and who authorized it jeopardized our national security, but hey, lets shoot the messenger. He's just another tool of war, like our soldiers, he's expendable (drooling with sarcasm).
"Well, it is no secret that Putin is no fan of Obama"
---
But the people who matter are.
If Schumer brains was gunpowder, he wouldn't have enough to blow his nose.