Cliff notes, from what I understand, may be totally off. Snowden grew a conscience and blew the whistle on something that if he had try to use a legit method of blowing the whistle. They probably would have just assassinated him. Probably way oversimplified. He did go about things in a fucked up way, but there really wasn't an out. It's not like he could have just "quit", he was in too deep. He made himself high profile so they couldn't just snuff him. Julian on the otherhand, from my understanding, coaxed and encouraged the info he procured, sometimes. Which could be considered espionage. He is just more hated, because of the threat he poses to a lot of people if he continues to exist, since what I can see he doesn't favor the information he just vets it and dumps it. I can see why it's walking a tightrope on these pardons, but in light of all the swamp shit that isn't being charged or prosecuted, these guys might as well be J-walkers compared to the heinous shit that goes on unpunished.