US Government Threatened Germany Over Aiding SnowdenSM Gibson German Vice ChancellorSigmar Gabriel stated this week that the United States threatened to halt relayingall intelligence information with Berlin if they assisted the NSA whistleblowerin any way.They told us they would stop notifying us of plots and other intelligence matters, Gabriel said. Gabriel commended the work of Greenwald and other reporters as he delivered a speech regarding the journalistic efforts made concerning the Snowden leaks. The Vice Chancellor displayedregret that the former Booz Allen employeewas forced to seek political shelterin Putins autocratic Russia. As the German leader elaborated that no nation was ableor inclined to offer Snowden assistance, an interjecting voice from the crowd bellowed out, Why dont you bring him to Germany, then? Gabriel countered the interruption by claiming that his government would be legally bound to extradite the American refugee if he stepped foot on German soil. At the conclusion of the address, Greenwald, who was present at the event, questionedGabriel as to the truth about why Germany didnt offer Snowden asylum because under international law, once asylum status has been granted, the subject would no longer be considered a fugitive. According to The Intercept, the vice chancellor responded by saying, The U.S. government had aggressively threatened the Germans that if they did so, they would be cut off from all intelligence sharing. That would mean, if the threat were carried out, that the Americans would literally allow the German population to remain vulnerable to a brewing attack discovered by the Americans by withholding that information from their government. This would basically mean that the U.S. was prepared to hold the people of Germany and their safety hostage in the name of pride. If for some reason Vice Chancellor Gabriel was not being truthful in his remarks, his words could be deemed a fear tactic in order to make the people of Germany believe that asylum for Snowden is a detriment to their own well-being. Either way you look at it, the people of both the United States and Germany, along with their freedoms, come out on the losing end. SM Gibson writes for TheAntiMedia.org, where this article first appeared. Tune in to the Anti-Media radio show Monday through Friday @ 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific. Help us fix our typos: edits@theantimedia.org. 