Advocates for clemency for Snowden, including several of Trump’s picks for top Cabinet posts, are hopeful that the president-elect is now closer to pardoning the former spy.

At the same time that Donald Trump is ramping up talk about about pardoning the Jan. 6 insurrectionists after he assumes power in late January, some of his closest advisers are pushing him to also issue a pardon to former NSA contractor Edward Snowden who has been avoiding U.

Kennedy Jr., campaigned for president on the promise of a “day one” pardon of Snowden and building a Washington monument in his honor. Director of National Intelligence pick Tulsi Gabbard sponsored a 2020 House resolution with Gaetz calling for the government to drop charges against Snowden.