"Emotional distress" key to Manning defense

Nineteen months after he was arrested, Army Private Bradley Manning is the subject of a military hearing outside Washington, D.C.

Sunday was the third day of the proceeding to determine whether the former intelligence analyst should be court-martialed on 22 counts, including aiding the enemy.

CBS News correspondent Elaine Quijano reports that Manning's defense attorneys have sought to paint him as a soldier who struggled with his homosexuality at a time when gays could not serve openly in the military, and who asked superiors for help with gender identity issues.

"His defense at this point appears to hinge mostly on his emotional distress, he was apparently under substantial emotional distress at the time he was in the Army and before even," said Denver Nicks, a Manning biographer.

A government witness - one of Manning's commanders in Baghdad - testified that Manning was known to have had angry outbursts, including flipping a table and throwing a chair. The witness said based on his emotional turmoil, Manning should have had his security clearance pulled.

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Manning's case and his months of solitary confinement in a military brig have sparked protests, including right outside Fort Meade, Maryland, where more than a hundred people demonstrated to support him.

One supporter said: "It's unclear if he's the person who leaked information to Wikileaks, but if he is, he should be protected and appreciated as a whistleblower."

The Obama administration maintains the leaked information posed a threat to national security and strained relations with other governments. If this preliminary hearing leads to a court martial, Manning, who turned 24 on Saturday, could face life in prison, if convicted.

[expatriate2]

One cannot view the Manning case without recalling Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers. In Ellsberg's case, the charges were actually more serious since the papers were listed as "Top Secret" and he was in jeopardy of being sentenced to 115 years in prison. His claim that Americans had the right to know the subversive actions of their government was ignored but eventually all the charges were dismissed because of the misconduct of the government toward Ellsberg during the time of his indictment.
In Manning's case, the information also dealt with a wide range of information including atrocities committed by U.S. forces in Iraq. There are those, even posting here, who seem to believe that if a document is classified, it means that it relates to national security rather than an outright coverup. Unfortunately, that is not always true. To expand the concept of secrecy to the intent to conceal truth from the public has no relationship to national security, rather to national corruption and the wrong exercise of power.
Some of the world's best minds have petitioned that the treatment of Manning while in confinement was not only unconstitutional, but represented open misconduct, like the Ellsberg case. President Obama has already declared him guilty which, in itself, is an intrusion upon Manning's right to a fair trial.
There will be much more to come of this but I sense that he has been given a completely inept legal representation that is beginning to show in their suggested defense.

[ammo17]

if he is being charged with aiding the enemy,eric holder and the justice department and the a.t.f have to be chargred with the same crimes,plus mass murder.

[rainbowroosie]

Good idea...what is the difference between a "lie" and "perjury?"

[rainbowroosie]

He deliberately chose to release data he knew was classified. Clearly premeditated. This is an open and shut case. His lawyer is trying to distract the court by blaming others; won't work. Only question is how much time he'll do...Ft. Leavenworth is a beautiful place; too bad he may not have a cell with a view of the river...tee, hee, hee.

[dknelson353]

I hope the traitor has a lot of emotional distress when they read his sentance!!!

[Lerianis4]

I'll be blunt: I personally hail this man as a true patriot and hero for what he did. A lot of the stuff (yes, I have read a lot of it) should never have been classified in the damned first place.

The little bit there that was classified and rightly was? Wikileaks redacted it just like the military would have before it was released.

Most of the problem that the military and government had and still have with this 'leak' is that it painted the United States in a bad light, by showing how forked tongued we were on the international stage.

[Samlv]

A patriot does not release secret material.

[involved_indi]

you degrade the term patriot with your post. the man is a traitor and should spend at least several years in a military prison if he isn't executed for treason.