Private First Class Bradley Manning, the soldier responsible for leaking over 700,000 documents containing classified information to Wikileaks, will finally face military trial this week at Fort Meade, Maryland. Colonel Denise Lind will ultimately decide the soldier’s case.
From Reuters:
Manning, an intelligence analyst, was arrested in May 2010 while serving in Iraq. He was charged with downloading intelligence documents, diplomatic cables and combat videos and forwarding them to WikiLeaks, which began releasing the information that year.
Manning testified in February that he had released the files to spark a domestic debate on the military and on foreign policy in general.
“I take full responsibility for my actions,” he said at the time. “I felt I accomplished something that would allow me to have a clear conscience.”
One of the leaked U.S. military videos showed a 2007 attack by Apache helicopters that killed a dozen people in Baghdad. They included two Reuters news staff, photographer Namir Noor-Eldeen and driver Saeed Chmagh.
The judge in the case, Colonel Denise Lind, said last month she would close parts of the trial to the public to protect classified material. Rather than face a jury, Manning has chosen to have Lind decide his case.
Manning pleaded guilty in court in February to 10 lesser charges that he was the source of the WikiLeaks release. But prosecutors rejected the pleas and are pursuing the original charges.
Last November, Manning took the stand in a pre-trial hearing to recount what his legal defense had described as “unlawful pretrial punishment,” an attempt that was aimed at convincing the judge to dismiss the charges. His attorney presented a partial plea offer at that time – not a plea agreement or government deal, rather, an acceptance of responsibility for a subset of charges through a process known as “pleading by exceptions and substitutions.” While the judge accepted the language in it, prosecutors ultimately decided to move forward with the original charges on all 21 counts. The most serious one includes that of “aiding the enemy.”
Manning’s supporters meanwhile have planned a protest this afternoon that will begin outside the main gate of Fort Meade, where the group will gather and then march along US-175 for about a mile to a rally location. They’re touting worldwide protests in dozens of cities this weekend.
You can check out the #FreeBrad hashtag on Twitter to see what they’re all tweeting – many of them, such as CODEPINK, are updating from live on the ground.
Julian Assange is still hanging out at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, where he’s been planning his Australian Senate bid while avoiding extradition to Sweden on alleged sex crime charges.
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Comments
I fear that this so called “trial” will become wussyfied with political correctness tossing aside the core issues.
Military justice should always be swift, fair and purposeful.
Am I wishing for too much here???
ex army MP here that did nuke security and law enforcement.
this puke needs to die.
This delay is frustrating. The military courts are following the path of the civil.
How can it be called justice when it drags on forever?
Grumpy, I am in complete agreement that political correctness will rule the day; and also with your characterization of military justice.
In the long run, Article 15 may be the sole remaining vestige of the military system; although I would not be surprised to see a batter of lawyers lined up at Mast.
Where are Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson when you need them to say, “YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!” =D Bradley Manning took an Oath, Volunteered, and then betrayed the country. I know what I’d do to him, but I will let the UCMJ slowly grind him.
Maybe Eric Holder will have some free time to help with his defense.
Bradley Manning used classified info, in an act of treason, to hurt his country. The IRS under Obama/Holder has used dicrimmination to hurt we the people. Traitors all.
Well, well, well, coming right up – THREE show trials involving the current PC-protected species:
1. Bradley Manning representing gays and leftists.
2. George Zimmerman, a nice guy whose only crime was self defense against one of Obama, Holder and Sharpton’s people.
3. Major Hasan, the Islamist, who will be representing himself (in which he will either demonstrate insanity and/or preach/attempt to defend his religion).
Almost forgot:
TWITCHY reports: “Code Pink, Occupy march on behalf of ‘hero’ Bradley Manning on eve of court martial.”
See?
Make that FOUR show trials – forgot about the Kaitlyn Ashley Hunt trial which also portends a political agenda circus.
I dunno . Maybe people are all Ariassed out. After all ,it is going to be hard to compete with pics of genitals that look like they were caught in a force 4 twister .
The Hunt Smith thing has potential but the thing is the 14 year old is half black & is not yet recruited into the Obama family like Trayvon & Haditha Pendleton.