Barr says he's "vehemently opposed" to pardoning Edward Snowden

• It remains unclear how serious Trump was about considering a pardon for the former NSA contractor. Ultimately, the power to issue a pardon or commutation for Snowden would lie with Trump.
• Prior to his election, Trump called Snowden a "traitor" and a "spy who should be executed."

What he's saying: Barr called Snowden, who is living in exile in Russia, a "traitor" and said "the information he provided our adversaries greatly hurt the safety of the American people."

• "He was peddling it around like a commercial merchant. We can’t tolerate that."

The big picture: Several top Republicans have also warned Trump against pardoning Snowden.

The other side: Snowden maintains that in working for the NSA and CIA, he concluded that the U.S. intelligence community had "hacked the Constitution."

• He told "Axios on HBO" last year that "it was a difficult thing to come forward."
• He added that he gave up a well-paying government job "spying on you" to never return home to see his family.