The Senate Appropriations Committee passed a State Department funding bill Thursday that threatens sanctions against any country that offers asylum to National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina sponsored an amendment to the bill stating that if a country offers Snowden safe harbor, the secretary of state must confer with Congress about the possibility of sanctions. The committee unanimously approved the provision,
The Hill reports.
"The committee notes that certain countries have offered asylum to Edward Snowden, an American citizen who divulged classified information to the press," the provision reads.
"The committee directs the secretary of state to consult with the appropriate congressional committees on sanction options against any country that provides asylum to Mr. Snowden, including revocation or suspension of trade privileges and preferences," the bill states.
The bill doesn't actually impose sanctions. Graham has said that if Russia gives Snowden asylum, President Barack Obama should consider implementing a boycott of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Snowden's asylum quest hasn't been resolved, and he hopes to stay in Russia, his lawyer Anatoly Kucherena
told The Guardian Wednesday.
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