White House Petition Urges Pardon for Snowden

20,000 signatures so far

More than 20,000 people have signed a petition urging President Obama to pardon the man who revealed details about two classified National Security Agency (NSA) programs. 

The "Pardon Edward Snowden" petition created on Sunday calls the former NSA employee and government contractor "a national hero" who deserves a full pardon. The petition on the official White House website had more than 20,000 signatures as of 2:10 p.m. Monday.

"Edward Snowden is a national hero and should be immediately issued a [sic] a full, free, and absolute pardon for any crimes he has committed or may have committed related to blowing the whistle on secret NSA surveillance programs," the petition states.