Fans want Edward Snowden, whistleblower responsible for historic NSA leak, to go on Joe Rogan's podcast: "I never believed what the media told us"
Joe Rogan has hosted Edward Snowden on the world-renowned Joe Rogan Experience podcast in the past. Amid ongoing calls for Rogan to discuss various geopolitical issues with Snowden, many have demanded he be invited to JRE again.
Snowden worked for the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), the foreign intelligence arm of the U.S. Additionally, he later worked as a contractor for the NSA (National Security Agency), which oversees international intelligence, counterintelligence, signals intelligence and more. Back in 2013, he turned whistleblower and leaked numerous highly classified NSA documents.
Deemed one of the, if not the, biggest leaks in NSA and the American government's history, it led to him being charged with espionage by the government. He soon sought asylum in Russia, later receiving Russian citizenship in 2022.
Snowden has consistently maintained that he leaked the information to highlight the ethical concerns about the American government's alleged breaching of individual privacy.
An X user recently asked whether people would like to see Snowden on Joe Rogan's podcast again to "expose corruption, shady backroom deals, and even reveal the infamous EPSTEIN LIST."
Fans soon flocked to reply to the post, with the vast majority of them overwhelmingly supporting the idea. One X user wrote:
"Absolutely"
A few seemed disinterested in the idea. Others suggested they'd like to see Snowden multiple times on JRE:
"Yes, multiple times"
Certain sections of the socio-political realm have often indicated that Snowden was right in reportedly attempting to raise ethical concerns within the NSA and U.S. government circles and then going public when they allegedly refused to comply.
His supporters argue that his publicly disclosing confidential information about U.S. intelligence agencies and the 'Five Eyes' (the intelligence group comprising the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand) was justified. They emphasize that he did so to bring to light the alleged invasion of individual privacy of people worldwide.
On that note, many have called for the U.S. to pardon him. A commenter alluded to it and wrote:
"He deserves a second chance."
One observer commented:
"Of course!! Edward Snowden needs to be heard and more importantly, needs to be pardoned. He is not an enemy to the people but a hero for he tried to warn us of the known threat by our OWN government against our constitutional rights."
Another fan said:
"Yes please do it. I never believed what the media told us because it always sounded like government was controlling the truth"
Check out the screenshots of a few reactions below:
Edward Snowden vocalized his support for Joe Rogan
Edward Snowden appeared on episodes #1368 and #1536 of JRE in October 2019 and September 2020, respectively.
They spoke about various burning issues, including Snowden's self-admitted disillusionment with the U.S. government's alleged excessive invasion of individual privacy in the name of national/global security.
Watch Snowden's 2019 conversation with Rogan below:
Furthermore, Edward Snowden memorably come to Joe Rogan's defense back in 2022. This was around the time many were calling for Rogan to be de-platformed amid the alleged COVID-related misinformation, platforming of polarizing guests, and other controversies that Rogan and JRE faced.
Supporting the UFC commentator and podcaster, Snowden tweeted:
"Nobody has stronger opinions about Joe Rogan than people who have never listened to Joe Rogan."