Bernie Sanders wants plea deal for Snowden

Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday called for a deal that would allow Edward Snowden, a former contractor for the CIA who leaked secret information from the National Security Agency's surveillance programs, to return the U.S. with some guarantee of leniency.

In an article published by the Guardian, the former Democratic presidential candidate admitted he believes Snowden committed a crime, but that his actions provided the American people an opportunity to see how the NSA had "abused" its authority and violated American citizens' constitutional rights.

"Now we must learn from the troubling revelations Mr Snowden brought to light. Our intelligence and law enforcement agencies must be given the tools they need to protect us, but that can be done in a way that does not sacrifice our rights," Sanders wrote.

"While Mr Snowden played an important role in educating the American people, there is no debate that he also violated an oath and committed a crime," Sanders added.

While he did not go as far as to suggest a full pardon, Sanders did say that in his view, "the interests of justice would be best served if our government granted him some form of clemency or a plea agreement that would spare him a long prison sentence or permanent exile."