Obama Blows off Snowden, No 'Wheeling and Dealing' to Extradite the 'Hacker'

In press conference in Africa, President Obama said today that he won’t be “wheeling and dealing” to extradite Edward Snowden calling him a “29-year old hacker.” 

“I’m not going to have one case with a suspect who we’re trying to extradite suddenly be elevated to the point where I’ve got to start doing wheeling and dealing and trading on a whole host of other issues, simply to get a guy extradited so he can face the justice system.”

He went on to say that he hadn’t contacted Russian President Vladimir Putin or Chinese President Xi Jinping about the issues. “I shouldn’t have to,” he declared.  He noted that China and Russia should abide by international law. 

Regarding the extradition of Snowden, Obama described the situation as “not exceptional from a legal perspective.”

“I get why it’s a fascinating story,” Obama said. “I’m sure there will be a made-for-TV movie somewhere down the line.”