Despite a petition 167,000 strong, the White House is, unsurprisingly, in no hurry to welcome NSA contractor-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden back to the United States.

Finally responding on Tuesday to a 2013 petition, the Obama administration said it would not pardon the former government contractor who revealed sweeping government surveillance on millions of Americans. The administration also called Snowden a bit of a coward for deciding to hide out in Russia.

“Instead of constructively addressing these issues, Mr. Snowden’s dangerous decision to steal and disclose classified information had severe consequences for the security of our country and the people who work day in and day out to protect it,” the White House response reads. “He should come home to the United States, and be judged by a jury of his peers — not hide behind the cover of an authoritarian regime. Right now, he’s running away from the consequences of his actions.”

The response is contrary to recent remarks by former Attorney General Eric Holder, who suggested in earlier this month that there might be a way for Snowden to cut a deal and return to the U.S.