Infuckingcredible. This little rat turd was convicted of espionage, theft, and computer fraud, but not treason?
From Fox News.
The U.S. Army Soldier charged with providing troves of government documents to WikiLeaks was found not guilty Tuesday of aiding the enemy, the top charge in his 21-count indictment that could have carried a life sentence, however, he was convicted of several lesser charges that can carry a 128-year prison sentence.
Prosecutors had to prove Army Pfc. Bradley Manning had “a general evil intent” and knew the classified material would be seen by the terrorist group Al Qaeda. Legal experts said an aiding-the- enemy conviction could set a precedent because Manning did not directly give the classified material to Al Qaeda.
Some of the information he leaked ended up in Osama Bin Laden’s possession. Manning couldn’t have aided Bin Laden any more if he had walked up to the muzzie pig and handed over the documents in person.
The judge, Army Col. Denise Lind, deliberated for about 16 hours over three days before reaching her decision in the case.
Manning was convicted of five espionage counts, five theft charges, a computer fraud charge and other military infractions. The sentencing phase of his trial is scheduled to begin Wednesday at 9:30 a.m., and will likely go on for several weeks.
The 25-year-old Crescent, Okla., native acknowledged giving the anti-secrecy website hundreds of thousands of battlefield reports, diplomatic cables and videos in early 2010.
Manning said he didn’t believe the information would harm troops in Afghanistan and Iraq or threaten national security.
Manning is full of shit. He gave WikiLeaks over 700,000 battlefield reports and diplomatic cables. Any intel analyst knows that if the enemy receives classified material that reveals collection methods, sources, and operational details, it can and will harm the troops and damage national security.
If Col. Lind doesn’t get that, she needs to find a new line of work.
His defense attorney played up the gay angle:
Defense attorney David Coombs portrayed Manning as a “young, naive but good-intentioned” Soldier who was in emotional turmoil, partly because he was a gay service member at a time when homosexuals were barred from serving openly in the U.S. military.
He said Manning could have sold the information or given it directly to the enemy, but he gave them to WikiLeaks in an attempt to “spark reform” and provoke debate. A counterintelligence witness valued the Iraq and Afghanistan war logs at about $5.7 million, based on what foreign intelligence services had paid in the past for similar information.
Manning didn’t leak classified documents for any noble purpose, he did it because he’s a fucking problem child who was ‘disgusted’ with his commanders and U.S. ”society at large”.
Gawd only knows how many missions and Soldiers’ lives were compromised because of Manning’s malfeasance.
He should be taken out and shot.
Related post:
http://sfcmac.wordpress.com/2013/06/03/courts-martial-begins-for-traitor-bradley-manning/