His stance is more nuanced.<p>&gt; &quot;I think Snowden played a very important role in educating the American public ... he did break the law, and I think there should be a penalty to that,&quot; Sanders said. He went on to say that the role Snowden played in educating the public about violations of their civil liberties should be considered before he is sentenced, and that as president he would &quot;absolutely&quot; end the NSA spying programs in question.<p>Basically it seems to me he wants Snowden to get a fair trial, which would require some new legislation first or for him to be charged with a different crime. And aside from Rand Paul, I don&#x27;t think any other candidate is as strong on Internet freedom as Sanders.