On this weekend’s “Fox News Sunday,” South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham downplayed the “hero” status of whistleblower Edward Snowden as the news of his flight from Hong Kong to Moscow as he seeks asylum from the prosecution of U.S. authorities broke.
Graham emphasized his support for doing what it takes to track Snowden down.
“Well, I’d like to find out why our papers were not in compliance,” Graham said. “That would be a big mistake by the Department of Justice. I don’t think he’s a hero. I believe he hurt or nation. He compromised our national security program designed to find out what terrorists were up to. So, the freedom trail is not exactly China, Russia, Cuba, Venezuela. So, I hope we’ll chase him to the ends of the earth, bring him to justice and let the Russians know there will be consequences if they harbor this guy.”
Utah Sen. Mike Lee, also a guest on “Fox News Sunday,” likewise questioned Snowden options for asylum, noting their human rights records aren’t up to snuff.
“I don’t know if I would use the word ‘helpless,’ but we are in a precarious position here,” Lee said. “But I think Mr. Snowden is also — look, I made no secret about the fact that I’ve got some concerns about much of what the NSA has been doing, but I think Mr. Snowden is delusional if he thinks that he’s going to find a country with a better human rights record in Moscow or in Havana or Caracas. I think he’s in for a rude awakening if that’s what he has in mind.”