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Bradley Manning found not guilty of aiding the enemy, convicted on other charges

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An Army judge on Tuesday acquitted Pfc. Bradley Manning of aiding the enemy by disclosing a trove of secret U.S. government documents but found him guilty of espionage, a mixed verdict that dealt a rebuke to military prosecutors who sought to prove that the largest leak in U.S. history had assisted al-Qaeda. The judge, Col. Denise Lind, found Manning guilty of most of the more than 20 crimes he was charged with, including several violations of the Espionage Act. He could face a maximum of 136 years in prison.

Washington Post

Good. The only thing acquitting him of aiding the enemy does is take the death penalty off the table, which I'm not against. Next up is the pursuit of Snowden. In the words of the very man they leaked their information to: "they've got it coming to them. They deserve it."
 
Washington Post

Good. The only thing acquitting him of aiding the enemy does is take the death penalty off the table, which I'm not against. Next up is the pursuit of Snowden. In the words of the very man they leaked their information to: "they've got it coming to them. They deserve it."

I assume they both knew the risks. The intelligence community is plagued with leaks consisting of information much more sensitive than anything to which Manning had access. This is more of a political statement move than a security issue. Unless, of course, the intelligence community has cleaned up some their incompetence since I left. I hate to say that, but it is not as efficient as we are made to believe.
 
This decision seems to imply, to me, that unintentionally aiding the enemy by knowingly releasing classified information is not the same as simply aiding the enemy. I'm not a fan of this decision, if that is indeed the case.
 
Washington Post

Good. The only thing acquitting him of aiding the enemy does is take the death penalty off the table, which I'm not against. Next up is the pursuit of Snowden. In the words of the very man they leaked their information to: "they've got it coming to them. They deserve it."

Exposing govt wrongdoing should never be a punishable crime. Plus, no one was hurt by Manning's actions. As for the military's actions this past decade...
 
This decision seems to imply, to me, that unintentionally aiding the enemy by knowingly releasing classified information is not the same as simply aiding the enemy. I'm not a fan of this decision, if that is indeed the case.

Proof that he has aided the enemy?
 
Proof that he has aided the enemy?

I'm talking about the implication of the decision, not the facts in and of themselves (though, disclosure of SOF raids in Pakistan affected our ability to continue those raids, and it's thought that disclosure of a few incidents influenced the Iraqi government not to grant our soldiers immunity after the primary withdrawal; clearly that granted Al Qaeda a reprieve and current news in Iraq shows they've made good use of it).

I understand the implication of saying that what Manning did was aiding the enemy, the implication being that any whistle-blower in the Armed Forces could be prosecuted on that charge. I probably wouldn't have been happy had the judge said that unintentionally aiding the enemy was always a crime for a whistle-blower. I'm not really sure what would be best, maybe this is the best possible outcome, but I'm not convinced of that yet.
 
Exposing govt wrongdoing should never be a punishable crime. Plus, no one was hurt by Manning's actions. As for the military's actions this past decade...

Even Manning doesn't know what he leaked. He illegally copied classified documents, and had them publicly disseminated for all to see, giving not one **** what the information was, or who it hurt. He's not a hero, he's a petty moron who acted out on a grudge from being "bullied" about his homosexuality. I'm glad they chose to clear him of the one charge that would justify execution, but he's no hero, and he definitely deserves what he got. He probably doesn't even realize how lucky he is that they didn't crucify his stupid ass.
 
This decision seems to imply, to me, that unintentionally aiding the enemy by knowingly releasing classified information is not the same as simply aiding the enemy. I'm not a fan of this decision, if that is indeed the case.

Well intent plays a huge role.
 
Well intent plays a huge role.

That's the problem for me. I don't know the exact law, but it seems like there should be something comparable to the 1st vs. 2nd vs. 3rd degree murder system. I just want to find something that says he helped the enemy by knowingly releasing classified material relevant to foreign/military affairs. Just something that covers the area between espionage and aiding the enemy.
 
That's the problem for me. I don't know the exact law, but it seems like there should be something comparable to the 1st vs. 2nd vs. 3rd degree murder system. I just want to find something that says he helped the enemy by knowingly releasing classified material relevant to foreign/military affairs. Just something that covers the area between espionage and aiding the enemy.

The reality is, there really is no such system, and the reason for that stems from the nature of U.S. intelligence work and its many failures. In cases like this, it's almost purely up to the court's discretion. Based on his role in the military, there is very little, even in a dump so large, that could have created a security threat to aid the enemy. The nature of our intelligence work often requires, whether in appearance or reality, leaking large dumps of information, albeit with specific intentions, but the contents of which are likely infinitely more sensitive than anything Manning could have stumbled upon, even by accident. Manning released information that made us look bad rather than create a security problem.

This is why I believe the case to be a political move-a warning suggesting the outcome of any would be whistleblowers.

And, I suppose, from what I've read of the Afghan War diary and the like, the government commissioned some pretty terrible things in the eyes of many (as they have since the our beginning) and I can understand the view that it is wrongdoing.

I'm not naive or pompous enough to render an opinion on why Manning did it, but I'm sure he knew the potential outcome. For me, it's just cluttering up news sources. And of course, as always, just my two cents.
 
Good. The only thing acquitting him of aiding the enemy does is take the death penalty off the table, which I'm not against. Next up is the pursuit of Snowden. In the words of the very man they leaked their information to: "they've got it coming to them. They deserve it."

Actually it takes life-imprisonment off the table as well and he's likely only going to get 20 years max. That's still too good for this schmuck IMO.
 
A hundred and thirty four years. That's quite a slap on the wrist for embarrassing America. The "classified"information he leaked was already lawfully available to 2.7 million people before he revealed it.
 
A hundred and thirty four years. That's quite a slap on the wrist for embarrassing America. The "classified"information he leaked was already lawfully available to 2.7 million people before he revealed it.

I heard this in a discussion with a colleague and I am unsure of the source, but apparently he told his direct superiors of his findings and they took no action, leaving him with the obligation to expose it.
 
Even Manning doesn't know what he leaked. He illegally copied classified documents, and had them publicly disseminated for all to see, giving not one **** what the information was, or who it hurt.

The fact that he was declared not guilty in aiding the enemy should tell you immediately that your claim is unfounded.


He's not a hero, he's a petty moron who acted out on a grudge from being "bullied" about his homosexuality.

Really? He told you this?
 
The fact that he was declared not guilty in aiding the enemy should tell you immediately that your claim is unfounded.

That's grounded in a lack of intentions more than anything. His actions have contributed to a resurgent Al Qaeda in Iraq.
 
This decision seems to imply, to me, that unintentionally aiding the enemy by knowingly releasing classified information is not the same as simply aiding the enemy. I'm not a fan of this decision, if that is indeed the case.

It seems to me the judge was saying Manning was too stupid to understand where the information he leaked would end up, but he will be in prison for the rest of his life anyway so why does it matter if he was found not guilty on this one charge?
 
It seems to me the judge was saying Manning was too stupid to understand where the information he leaked would end up, but he will be in prison for the rest of his life anyway so why does it matter if he was found not guilty on this one charge?

Obviously because of the precedent this case sets. It's going to affect the outcomes of any whistleblower cases that involve mass disclosure of classified information. That's why I find it hard to swallow why the judge said that intentional whole-sale release of classified information, some of which may aid the enemy, is not considered aiding the enemy.

What if Manning hypothetically released information about an Apache's vulnerability to a SAM? That's sure as hell helping Al Qaeda, but by my understanding of this holding, that won't be considered aiding the enemy.

Did the judge ruled Manning didn't aid the enemy because there wasn't sufficient evidence to show he actually helped them? Or was it because Manning didn't intend to do so.

"The judge prohibited both sides from presenting evidence during trial about any actual damage the leaks caused to national security and troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, but lawyers will be allowed to bring that up at sentencing. The judge did not give any reasons for her verdict from the bench, but said she would release detailed written findings. She did not say when."

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-
57596268/bradley-manning-facing-up-to-136-years-as-sentencing-phase-begins/


Looks like we have to wait for perhaps the most important part of the decision.
 
The enemy is thugs like Obama, Bush, Clinton, Reagan etc. Manning exposed their crimes and naturally the thugs want his hide.

"Bradley Manning will be sentenced today, having been found guilty of 20 counts on Tuesday, including espionage (despite the lack of evidence for intent to spy and the lack of evidence that his leaking ever did any real harm). Whatever one thinks of Manning’s actions, that we deserved to know some of what he revealed and that his revelations changed the world are (Photo: cool revolution/ Flickr)undeniable.

1. Manning revealed the Collateral Murder video of a helicopter attack in Iraq on mostly unarmed non-combatants (though some of those struck may have been armed), including two Reuters journalists, whose cameras were taken for weapons, and children. The army maintains that the video does not show wrongdoing, but the killing of unarmed journalists is a war crime, and the callousness of video gives an idea of what was going on in Iraq during the years of the US occupation. When the Bush administration asked the Iraqi parliament for permission to keep a base in the country, the parliamentarians said, absolutely not. The US military was forced to withdraw from Iraq by Dec. 31, 2011.

2. Manning revealed the full extent of the corruption of Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidin Ben Ali, adding fuel to the youth protest movement of late 2010, which translated the relevant US cables into Arabic. Manning contributed to the outbreak of powerful youth movements demanding more democratic governance in the Arab world.

3. Manning revealed to the US and Yemeni publics the secret drone war that Washington was waging in that country. That the cables show then dictator Ali Abdallah Saleh acquiescing in the US strikes on his country probably played into the movement to remove him as president, which succeeded in early 2012.

4. He revealed that then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ordered US diplomats to spy on their United Nations counterparts. The UN spy requests included cables that “demanded detailed intelligence on the UN leadership including forensic detail about their communications systems, including passwords and personal encryption keys,” foreshadowing later revelations of extensive US spying on even allies like Germany via the NSA.

5. His leaks show that then Senator John Kerry pressed Israel to be open to returning the Golan Heights to Syria as part of a peace negotiation. This item suggests that Kerry might be more of an honest broker in the current negotiations than some observers give him credit for.

6. Revealed that Afghanistan government corruption is “overwhelming”. This degree of corruption, which has shaken the whole banking system and caused US funds to be massively misused, is still a factor in our decision of whether to stay in Afghanistan in some capacity after December 2014. The US public is in a better position to judge the issue with these documents available.

7. Manning revealed the degree of authoritarianism and corruption of the Egyptian government of Hosni Mubarak, which was subsequently swept away.

8. Manning revealed that hard-nosed realist, former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, was against striking Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities because it would only slow their program down slightly, but would inevitably cause Iranians to be angry and mobilized in the aftermath.

9. Manning revealed that the Israeli authorities had a secret plan to keep the Palestinian population of Gaza on the brink of food insecurity and poor health, in among the creepiest military operations in history: “Israeli officials have confirmed to Embassy officials on multiple occasions that they intend to keep the Gazan economy functioning at the lowest level possible consistent with avoiding a humanitarian crisis.”

10. Manning’s act of courage encouraged hackers to leak the emails of Bashar al-Assad and his wife, showing their jewelry buys in Europe and gilded style of life while al-Assad’s artillery was pounding Homs and other cities with no regard for the lives of noncombatants. In fact, Manning inspired numerous leakers, including some who blew the whistle on PLO corruption and willingness to give away most of Jerusalem to Israel, and, likely, Edward Snowden, who revealed to us that our government has us all under surveillance."

Top Ten Ways Bradley Manning Changed the World | Common Dreams
 
That's grounded in a lack of intentions more than anything. His actions have contributed to a resurgent Al Qaeda in Iraq.

It was the actions of our state to invade a sovereign nation that did not attack that led to a surge of Al Qaeda in that country. Through lives and limbs, Iraqis continue to pay almost daily for our invasion.
 
It was the actions of our state to invade a sovereign nation that did not attack that led to a surge of Al Qaeda in that country. Through lives and limbs, Iraqis continue to pay almost daily for our invasion.

Yeah, that horse died a long time ago. It's absolutely ridiculous that you'd even bring that up.
 
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I heard this in a discussion with a colleague and I am unsure of the source, but apparently he told his direct superiors of his findings and they took no action, leaving him with the obligation to expose it.
Oddly enough the only actual obligations laid upon Manning were the ones he so blatantly violated. Emotional and pseudo heroic pleas are quite literally the only leg Manning supporters have left to stand on.
 
Oddly enough the only actual obligations laid upon Manning were the ones he so blatantly violated. Emotional and pseudo heroic pleas are quite literally the only leg Manning supporters have left to stand on.

I'm rather apathetic about the whole thing. They're making a statement. It's not a matter of justice at this point. Especially considering the nature of intelligence work. Leaking information was a huge part of my work. Granted it was in a controlled manner, but all of which was a great deal more sensitive than anything Manning stumbled upon. If Manning is a traitor, color everyone that has ever worked in U.S. intelligence a traitor in the past 20 years or so, myself included.
 
Washington Post

Good. The only thing acquitting him of aiding the enemy does is take the death penalty off the table, which I'm not against. Next up is the pursuit of Snowden. In the words of the very man they leaked their information to: "they've got it coming to them. They deserve it."

I have mixed feelings about Manning however, Snowden is a patriot...
 
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