Rand Paul on Edward Snowden: ‘I think there’s a chance that he’ll be seen as an advocate of privacy’

With the breaking news today of Edward Snowden leaving Hong Kong and arriving in Moscow, Sunday morning political talk shows had their hands full with news, opinion and hyperbole.

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This morning on CNNs State of the Union with Candy Crowley, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul offered a different perspective on Snowden and the controversy surrounding him.

Following an interview with New York Senator Chuck Schumer, who was “infuriated” with Prime Minister Putin of Russia aiding and abetting Snowden’s escape.

When Crowley asks Paul, “What does this tell us?, talking about Russia allowing him in and Hong Kong letting him go, Paul said:

“You know, I’m not sure what it tells us, but I think it’s going to be an open question how this young man is judged. I do think that when history looks at this, they’re going to contrast the behavior of James Clapper, our national intelligence director, with Edward Snowden.

“Mr. Clapper lied in Congress in defiance of the law in the name of security. Mr. Snowden told the truth in the name of privacy. So, I think there will be a judgment, because both of them broke the law, and history will have to determine. I do think for Mr. Snowden, if he cozies up to the Russian government, it will be nothing but bad for his name in history.

“If he goes to an independent third country like Iceland and if he refuses to talk to any sort of formal government about this, I think there’s a chance that he’ll be seen as an advocate of privacy. If he cozies up to either the Russian government, the Chinese government, or any of these governments that are perceived still as enemies of ours, I think that that will be a real problem for him in history.”