Russia is considering sending whistleblower Edward Snowden back to the United States to curry favour from US President Donald Trump, according to a report.
A senior US official with insight into sensitive Russian information said that the officials there would be handing over Snowden to America as a "gift", according to NBC News. Another intelligence source also confirmed to the broadcast network the that the Russians have been thinking of sending the NSA leaker to the US.
Also read: Russia extends Edward Snowden's asylum permit till 2020
Snowden is a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) employee and a former contractor of the US government who had copied and leaked classified government documents of the National Security Agency (NSA). The documents revealed several surveillance programs by the US. Snowden currently lives at an undisclosed location in Russia, which has given him asylum.
The White House did not comment on the reports, but Snowden's ACLU lawyer Ben Wizner said that he had no idea about any such plans being made by the Russian government.
"Team Snowden has received no such signals and has no new reason for concern," Wizner said.
Snowden took to Twitter on Friday night to respond to the reports stating, "Finally: irrefutable evidence that I never cooperated with Russian intel."
"No country trades away spies, as the rest would fear they're next," he added.
However, former deputy national security adviser Juan Zarate told NBC that the US President should be wary of Russia's move.
"For Russia, this would be a win-win. It would signal warmer relations and some desire for greater cooperation with the new administration, but it would also no doubt stoke controversies and cases in the U.S. around the role of surveillance, the role of the U.S. intelligence community, and the future of privacy and civil liberties in an American context. All of that would perhaps be music to the ears of Putin," Zarate said.
