President Obama commuted her sentence as he was running out the door so to speak. If Chelsea stole classified documents and revealed them thru Wikileaks as a result of being mentally deranged that’s a plausible situation and a pardon was probably in order. One thing is certain. Chelsea Manning will continue to lead an unusual life.
The question remains if her pardon was the right thing to do. The quick answer is it probably was based on humanitarian grounds.
Chelsea Manning is in a better place at the moment, being freed from all Army controls. She spent a total of seven years in confinement. It’s a deeply complex case because there are two issues. One is her sexual or gender nature. The second in the sabotage caused by her purposeful decision to leak classified documents. Her motive is still unknown, perhaps even to herself.
Seven years for knowingly stealing classified documents and revealing them to Wikileaks is espionage.
While working at the Pentagon, Manning leaked 750,000 documents and videos to Wikileaks.
The law is 18 U.S. Code § 798 – Disclosure of classified information
(a) Whoever knowingly and willfully communicates, furnishes, transmits, or otherwise makes available to an unauthorized person, or publishes, or uses in any manner prejudicial to the safety or interest of the United States or for the benefit of any foreign government to the detriment of the United States any classified information……
That’s clear. Manning violated it and was charged and found guilty of over 20 violations. Compassion? Sure. Punishment for espionage? Seven years? for stealing
Chelsea Manning is in a better place at the moment, being freed from all Army controls. She spent a total of seven years in confinement. It’s a deeply complex case because there are two issues. One is her sexual or gender nature. The second in the sabotage caused by her purposeful decision to leak classified documents. Her motive is still unknown, perhaps even to herself.
Seven years for knowingly stealing classified documents and revealing them to Wikileaks is espionage.
(a) Whoever knowingly and willfully communicates, furnishes, transmits, or otherwise makes available to an unauthorized person, or publishes, or uses in any manner prejudicial to the safety or interest of the United States or for the benefit of any foreign government to the detriment of the United States any classified information……
That’s clear. Manning violated it and was charged and found guilty of over 20 violations. Compassion? Sure. Punishment for espionage? Seven years? for stealing
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