Democratic candidates sparred on during their debate about what should happen to NSA whistle blower Edward Snowden, after they were asked if they viewed him as a hero or a traitor.

“He stole very important information that has unfortunately fallen into a lot of the wrong hands,” said Hillary Clinton. “So I don’t think he should be brought home without facing the music.”

By contrast, Lincoln Chafee praised Snowden’s actions: “What Snowden did showed that the American government was acting illegally per the Fourth Amendment. So I would bring him home.”

“I think Snowden played a very important role in educating the American people to the degree in which our civil liberties and our constitutional rights are being undermined,” said Senator Bernie Sanders. “He did—he did break the law, and I think there should be a penalty to that. But I think what he did in educating us should be taken into consideration.”

“Snowden put a lot of Americans’ lives at risk,” said former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley. “Snowden broke the law. Whistleblowers do not run to Russia and try to get protection from Putin. If he really believes that, he should be back here.”

“Hillary Clinton is a very strong believer in the authority of the government,” said Zaid Jilani, staff writer at Alternet. “I mean, that’s part of the reason why she supports these wars, part of the reason why she defends her vote for the PATRIOT Act, and part of the reason why she generally supported very strong policing and prisons, and she is a lifelong supporter of the death penalty.”

“On the other hand, you have Sanders, who not only is a little bit libertarian on these civil liberties issues, but he’s also a little bit libertarian on guns,” said Jilani. “And I think that’s a real fissure that you’ll see among a lot of particularly young people, who have more libertarian views on this than sort of older Democrats, who are sort of more of the staunch supporters of more authoritarian and more sort of strict government policies.”

Jilani wants to see Clinton and Sanders debate these civil liberties controversies and branch out into further issues, including the war on drugs.

“I think (Snowden) has paid more than his due. He performed an incredible service,” said Jill Stein, the Green Party’s 2012 presidential nominee. “While he broke a law, technically, he also served a much higher constitutional law which was being broken. I think he should be welcomed home as a hero. And I think Chelsea—Chelsea Manning, as well, you know, ought to be recognized as the hero that she is, and I would say the same for Julian Assange. We owe them all a great debt of gratitude.”

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