The Burlington (Vt.) Free Press

Long prison sentence would be unfair%2C senator says

Others also have said Snowden should escape harsh treatment

Asked if it%27s spied on members of Congress%2C NSA did not deny doing so

Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden should be spared a long prison sentence or "permanent exile" for leaking classified material, independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said Monday.

"The information disclosed by Edward Snowden has been extremely important in allowing Congress and the American people to understand the degree to which the NSA has abused its authority and violated our constitutional rights," Sanders said in a statement. "On the other hand, there is no debate that Mr. Snowden violated an oath and committed a crime.

"In my view," Sanders continued, "the interests of justice would be best served if our government granted him some form of clemency or a plea agreement that would spare him a long prison sentence or permanent exile from the country whose freedoms he cared enough about to risk his own freedom."

Sanders' call for leniency for Snowden, who is in exile in Russia, follows editorials in the New York Times and elsewhere saying Snowden deserves clemency for breaking the law by disclosing the scope and extent of government snooping. On Sunday, Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, a possible 2016 presidential contender, said Snowden doesn't deserve the death penalty or life in prison.

The NSA's widespread surveillance has included the collection of phone, Internet and e-mail data on millions of Americans and others, including some foreign government leaders. The NSA's work has been under scrutiny since the summer, when Snowden leaked documents exposing the agency's programs.

He has received temporary asylum in Russia and is facing a federal indictment and a potentially lengthy prison sentence if he returns to the United States.

U.S. officials have said the NSA's approach is a necessary and constitutional tactic to fight terrorists and keep America safe. Critics counter that the NSA has gone too far. Courts have issued conflicting rulings.

Last week, Sanders asked the NSA whether the agency has spied on Congress. In its response Saturday, the agency did not deny doing so, saying, "Members of Congress have the same privacy protections as all U.S. persons."