119-hres34

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 34 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
H. RES. 34

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal 
 Government should drop all charges against Edward Snowden.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 January 13, 2025

 Ms. Greene of Georgia (for herself and Mr. Massie) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
 Judiciary, and in addition to the Permanent Select Committee on 
 Intelligence, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
 Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
 within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal 
 Government should drop all charges against Edward Snowden.

Whereas, during a Senate hearing on March 12, 2013, James Clapper, then-Director 
 of National Intelligence, was questioned by Senator Ron Wyden, and was 
 asked whether the National Security Agency ``collect[ed] any type of 
 data at all on millions, or hundreds of millions of Americans'', to 
 which Clapper replied ``No, sir'', and added ``not wittingly'', a 
 response he later admitted was ``clearly erroneous'';
Whereas, in June 2013, Edward Snowden disclosed to a selective group of 
 journalists National Security Agency documents exposing that bulk 
 collection of Americans' telephone records from telecommunications 
 providers by the intelligence community was occurring;
Whereas, on June 21, 2013, the Department of Justice unsealed charges against 
 Edward Snowden for violating sections 793
            (d) and 798

    (a)

    (3) of the 
 Espionage Act and theft of government property under 

section 641 of 
 title 18, United States Code;
Whereas, on January 23, 2014, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board's 
 report on the National Security Agency's telephone records program found 
 ``no instance in which the program directly contributed to the discovery 
 of a previously unknown terrorist plot or the disruption of a terrorist 
 attack'' and that the program significantly threatened and violated the 
 constitutional rights of the American people;
Whereas, on May 7, 2015, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second 
 Circuit ruled that 

section 215 of the Patriot Act did not authorize the 
 bulk collection of telephone records and therefore such collection was 
 unlawful;
Whereas, on September 2, 2020, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth 
 Circuit ruled the National Security Agency's telephone records bulk 
 collection program illegal and possibly unconstitutional under the 
 Fourth Amendment;
Whereas the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found the 
 telephone records bulk collection program did not play a pivotal role in 
 any terrorism investigations;
Whereas those involved in the collection of Americans' telephone records have 
 yet to be held accountable for their illegal actions, further increasing 
 the danger of continued government overreach and abuse of civil 
 liberties; and
Whereas the United States Government must protect whistleblowers who expose 
 illegal and unconstitutional acts of abuse within our government: Now, 
 therefore, be it
 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--

    (1) the National Security Agency's bulk collection 
 telephone records program was illegal and unconstitutional;

    (2) Edward Snowden's disclosure of this program to 
 journalists was in the public interest; and

    (3) the Federal Government should drop all charges against 
 Edward Snowden.
 <all>