The FBI planned to fly Edward Snowden 's father to Moscow to encourage the National Security Agency leaker to come home to the United States , his father told The Washington Post . But Lon Snowden said he backed out , because it was not clear he would be able to speak to his son . Interactive : Snowden 's options . `` I said , ' I want to be able to speak with my son . . . . Can you set up communications ? ' And it was , 'Well , we 're not sure , ' '' the father told the newspaper Tuesday . `` I said , 'Wait a minute , folks , I 'm not going to sit on the tarmac to be an emotional tool for you . ' '' Lon Snowden spoke to CNN on Monday and Tuesday , but did not bring up this incident . In an interview with CNN 's Jake Tapper Tuesday , the father said he wants the accused leaker to stay in Russia , until he is confident he can get a fair trial in the United States . Snowden 's father : ' I know my son . I know he loves his country . `` I am not confident at all , '' Lon Snowden said . The multiple guilty verdicts handed to leaker Pfc . Bradley Manning on Tuesday increased his unease , although he says his son 's case is `` completely different . '' `` I think my son has exercised discretion in the information that he has shared , '' he said . Edward Snowden admires Manning , his father said . `` He 's an individual who took a stand . '' Snowden a patriot ? Edward Snowden , a former employee of a government contractor , leaked to the media that the NSA had secretly collected and stored millions of phone records from accounts in the United States . It also collected information from U.S. companies on the Internet activity of overseas residents , Snowden said . Lawmakers in Washington have built a criminal case against him . Snowden 's lawyer , Bruce Fein , who also appeared in the interview with Tapper , objected to the government 's intent to prosecute Snowden . `` The majority of the American people now have voiced grave concerns about the scope of that program . And it seems somewhat odd to be prosecuting somebody for disclosing government wrongdoing . '' Snowden -- facts , fictions and fears . He said that Snowden had the courage to spark a conversation that President Barack Obama has called `` urgent . '' Fein believes it would be impossible to find an `` unpoisoned jury '' to try his client given the heavy media coverage . He lambasted Washington politicians for speaking of Snowden as if he were guilty , trampling on his right to be considered not guilty until proven otherwise . Lon Snowden told the Post that his son grew up in a patriotic family . Many of his relatives had served in the military or police forces . Lon Snowden said he served in the U.S. Coast Guard . His son acted out of patriotism , he said , knowing that he would suffer personally for his decision to protect Americans ' constitutional rights to privacy . Lon Snowden told Tapper that he expects Obama to do the same .
Edward Snowden acted out of patriotism , his father tells FBI . Report : Edward Snowden said he did not fly to Moscow because he doubted he 'd be able to speak to his son . Lon Snowden wants his son to stay in U.S for now . He is 'not confident ' his son would receive a fair trial in the Moscow .