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Who is Edward Snowden's wife Lindsay Mills? A look at the relationship with roots in America that blossomed in exile

'President Trump is listening to the many of us who are urging him to #PardonSnowden,' said Representative Matt Gaetz

Republican Congressmen are renewing calls to pardon Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who leaked classified documents about the National Security Agency's (NSA) surveillance operations when he was an employee with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In 2013, Snowden fled to Hong Kong, and then Russia as the United States filed charges on two counts of violating the Espionage Act of 1917 and theft of government property.

Now, President Donald Trump could be considering pardoning Snowden, according to Representative Matt Gaetz. Gaetz tweeted, "President Trump is listening to the many of us who are urging him to #PardonSnowden It’s the right thing to do." Fellow Republican Representative Justin Amash also echoed Gaetz's sentiments, simply tweeting, "Pardon @Snowden."

Gaetz's statement comes a month after it was reported that Snowden and his wife, Lindsay Mills, were applying for Russian citizenship ahead of their child's birth. Mills and Snowden married in 2017 in a Russian courthouse but was only revealed in 2019 when Snowden spoke to The Guardian.

Who is Lindsay Mills?

According to The Guardian, Lindsay Mills and Edward Snowden have been together since at least 2009. Mills graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art and later became a dancer and acrobat. Mills kept a blog in which she posted pictures of herself posing and performing. She also posted about Edward Snowden, referring to him as "E" or as her "man of mystery," according to a Buzzfeed News report on her blog.

A day after Snowden revealed himself to be the source of the leaks, Mills wrote on her blog according to The Guardian, "I don't know what will happen from here. I don't know how to feel normal." She added, "My world has opened and closed all at once. Leaving me lost at sea without a compass … at the moment all I can feel is alone."

In 2012, she moved to Hawaii with Snowden, writing on her blog, "For those that have forgotten, I moved to Hawaii to continue my relationship with E. It has been quite an up-and-down emotional rollercoaster since the moment I stepped off the plane." A few months later, Mills posted, "Friday night I was able to finally introduce E to my skeptical friends (they weren't quite sure E existed)." She added, "We lovingly crammed a large group into a small corner of a delicious Japanese restaurant and filled our bellies with sushi, tempura, and good conversation."

For a few months after Snowden fled to Russia, the media were not aware of their relationship status. It was only in 2014, when the documentary 'Citizenfour' was shown to have a scene of Snowden and Mills reuniting in Moscow, that the media confirmed they were still together. During the 87th Academy Awards, when 'Citizenfour' won Best Documentary Feature, Mills joined director Laura Poitras and journalist Glenn Greenwald to accept the award.

Today, Mills posts actively on her blog, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. On October 29, she tweeted the announcement that the couple is expecting a child, writing, "A long time in the making: our greatest collaboration is coming soon."

When announcing that they were seeking Russian citizenship, Snowden tweeted, "After years of separation from our parents, my wife and I have no desire to be separated from our son. That's why, in this era of pandemics and closed borders, we're applying for dual US-Russian citizenship." He added, "Lindsay and I will remain Americans, raising our son with all the values of the America we love—including the freedom to speak his mind. And I look forward to the day I can return to the States, so the whole family can be reunited."