Edward J. Snowden and his wife, Lindsay Mills, announced the birth of their first child Friday amid a push for President Trump to pardon the fugitive leaker of crimes keeping him from returning to the U.S.
The couple, who have resided in Russia for the last several years, shared photos on social media showing them holding their newborn child.
“Happy Holidays from our newly expanded family,” Ms. Mills said on Instagram where she posted the photos. “The greatest gift is the love we share,” Mr. Snowden added on Twitter where he shared one of them.
Mr. Snowden, a former CIA employee and National Security Agency contractor, admittedly leaked a trove of classified documents to the media in 2013 exposing the NSA’s vast operations and capabilities.
The Department of Justice under former President Barack Obama accordingly charged Mr. Snowden with stealing and violating the U.S. Espionage Act, putting him at risk of serving up to 30 years in prison.
However, Mr. Snowden has successfully avoided the long arm of the law during the last 7.5 years as a result of residing in Russia, which does not have an extradition agreement with the U.S. government.
Mr. Snowden said while his wife was expecting that they were both applying for dual citizenship to avoid the possibility of being legally separated from their son, a Russian citizen by birth.
“After years of separation from our parents, my wife and I have no desire to be separated from our son. That’s why, in this era of pandemics and closed borders, we’re applying for dual US-Russian citizenship,” Mr. Snowden said last month on Twitter.
Anatoly Kucherena, a lawyer for Mr. Snowden, said on Saturday that both Ms. Mills and her newborn son are in excellent health, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported over the weekend.
Mr. Snowden, 37, has previously said he will return to the U.S. if given a trial he deems fair, although some of his defenders are now pushing the president to have the case against him dropped entirely.
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, both Republicans closely allied with Mr. Trump, each advocated recently for Mr. Trump to pardon Mr. Snowden before his presidency ends.
Mr. Trump, who called Mr. Snowden a “traitor” prior to becoming president, said in August that he was considering granting him a pardon. He has since pardoned dozens of others.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.