• Franklin@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    17
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    9 months ago

    They were state secrets with a very well documented list of individuals to which it had been disclosed and he was documented as having had taken issue with the program. It’s reasonable that it would be traced back to him and that he would not be given protections or a fair trial.

    • Maggoty@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      12
      ·
      9 months ago

      Which still would have given him more time to get to somewhere like Cambodia that doesn’t extradite. No this was an ego thing. Either that or he was already compromised by the Chinese and they demanded it to trap him.

      • NightAuthor@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        9 months ago

        It seems more likely that he figured he’d be found out anyway, and decided there might be some safety in the light. Everyone knows him and what he did, instead of just some 3 letter agency that could suicide him without anyone ever noticing.

        • Maggoty@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          9 months ago

          Oh you couldn’t find anyone could you? We haven’t even done that with guys who handed stuff straight to the Russians without any whistleblowing. Straight up honest to God espionage. They’re in prison still, but they aren’t dead.

          ETA, well that sucks. I posted this on the wrong comment chain. But I’m leaving it up because it’s true. We don’t kill our turncoats. We just put them in prison for around 20 years.