Snowden's Father Gets Visa To Visit Son In Russia

[Purveyor]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden's father has secured documents to visit his son in Russia and plans to discuss how he could fight espionage charges, Lon Snowden and his attorney said Sunday.

Neither Lon Snowden nor his attorney Bruce Fein has spoken directly with the former NSA analyst since he fled the United States and received asylum in Russia, they said. But the father and lawyer also said they look forward to meeting with Edward Snowden to consider options for the leaker to return to the United States at some point.

"As a father, I want my son to come home if I believe that the justice system ... is going to be applied correctly," Lon Snowden said.

But the elder Snowden isn't convinced his son would get a fair hearing in court, given what he called "absolutely irresponsible" descriptions of his son's actions from President Barack Obama, his administration and top lawmakers from both parties.

"They have poisoned the well, so to speak, in terms of a potential jury pool," said Lon Snowden, of Allentown, Pa.

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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_NSA_SURVEILLANCE_SNOWDENS_FATHER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-08-11-10-18-44

[snappyturtle]

1. Glad to hear this. nt

[alp227]

2. new york times article

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/12/us/snowdens-father-says-he-will-visit-son-in-russia.html

“What I would like,” said Lon Snowden, the father, “is for this to be vetted in open court, for the American people to have all the facts.” He said he favored his son’s return if a fair trial was assured. As for a possible plea deal, he said, “I’m not open to it, and that’s what I’ll share with my son.”

Appearing on the ABC News program “This Week,” Lon Snowden and the family’s lawyer, Bruce Fein, declined to say when they would visit, to avoid what Mr. Fein called a news media “frenzy,” but they said it would be soon.

In a criminal complaint filed in June, federal prosecutors charged Edward Snowden with theft, “unauthorized communication of national defense information” and willfully disclosing classified communications intelligence “to an unauthorized person.” The second and third charge were brought under the Espionage Act of 1917.