(VOVworld) – The White House on Tuesday reiterated its refusal to pardon the CIA former contractor and fugitive data leaker Edward Snowden.

Demonstrators hold signs in support of Edward Snowden in Washington DC in 2013 (Photo: Reuters)

White House counterterrorism advisor Lisa Monaco said on Tuesday that Snowden’s decision to steal and disclose classified information had caused severe consequences for the security of the US and the American people. She added that Snowden should return to the US and “accept the consequences of his actions.”
The petition to the White House was created in the summer of 2013, shortly after Snowden released his documents, and has received more than 167,000 signatures.