IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1162 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal 

Government should drop all charges against Edward Snowden. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 

Ms. GABBARD (for herself and Mr. GAETZ) 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’’; 


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•HRES 1162 IH 

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; 


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•HRES 1162 IH 

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 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that— 

3 (1) the National Security Agency’s bulk collec4 tion telephone records program was illegal and un5 constitutional; 

6 (2) Edward Snowden’s disclosure of this pro7 gram to journalists was in the public interest; and 

8 (3) the Federal Government should drop all 

9 charges against Edward Snowden. 

Æ 


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