Rand Paul Calls For Snowden To Receive Light Prison Term

Says the NSA whistle-blower does not deserve to be executed or spend the rest of his life in prison

WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - The public debate over the fate of former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden intensified on Sunday with conservative U.S. Senator Rand Paul calling for a light prison term as punishment for Snowden's disclosure of information on government surveillance programs.

Paul, a Republican, said in an interview on ABC's "This Week" that Snowden does not deserve the death penalty or life in prison for the leaks, which have rattled the U.S. intelligence community, not to mention an American public that had been unaware of the extent of NSA data collection.