Bradley Manning Gets 35 Years, Will File Request for Pardon
August 21st, 2013
25-year-old Bradley Manning, who leaked evidence of government and military wrongdoing to the website WikiLeaks, was sentenced today to 35 years in prison. His defense attorney, David Coombs, will file a request for a pardon from President Obama early next week. Manning was facing 90 years.
After the sentence was read, Coombs burst into tears, and Manning consoled him, saying, “Don’t worry about it. It’s all right. I know you did your best. It’s going to be OK.” The whistleblower will be eligible for parole after serving around one-third of his time, save for a little over 3 years worth of credit he will receive for time served and the harsh treatment he suffered while in solitary confinement. This means he will be eligible for parole in 8 years.
Manning’s Sentence Is Unprecedented
There have been similar cases throughout US history, and never before has a soldier been given such a long sentence for leaking classified info to a media outlet. For example, Marine Sergeant Clayton Lonetree was sentenced to 30 years for espionage after providing the KGB with the identities of CIA agents during the Cold War. Lonetree’s acts of espionage clearly put agents at risk in a way that Manning’s leaks did not. Manning is set to serve a longer sentence, despite the fact that he was motivated by protecting the lives of innocents.
Soldiers convicted of killing innocent people have been given significantly shorter sentences by military courts. Going further, the individuals who committed the crimes that Bradley Manning exposed to WikiLeaks, some of whom killed innocent people, still remain at large.
Presidential Pardon: Manning’s Last Hope
Bradley Manning’s lawyer will request a pardon from President Obama. If a full pardon is rejected, he will also pursue a commutation that at least reduces the sentence to time served. However, the President has not shown the political courage necessary to go against the grain when it comes to issues pertaining to the military. For the most part, Obama has bent his policies to fit the will of neoconservatives like Bill Kristol, who would harp the Commander-in-chief endlessly if he were to do the right thing and release Manning.
At this point, a huge push for the release of Bradley Manning could create the political pressure necessary to encourage Obama to issue the pardon. A significant nationwide protest, combined with a petition drive, is probably his last hope. If he isn’t pardoned soon, the political issue will drift from the headlines, and Manning will rot away in obscurity. Many Americans believe Manning is a hero who deserves freedom, and the time to demand his release is now.
Said Manning about his sentence, “I will serve my time knowing that sometimes you have to pay a heavy price for living in a free society.” President Obama, please release Bradley Manning. He’s a hero who just wanted to save lives.
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