Pfc. Bradley #Manning has been acquitted of aiding the enemy for giving secrets to WikiLeaks. Full story: http://t.co/Z3TAMJ8gzu
— Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) July 30, 2013
This was by far the most serious charge against Bradley Manning. Some more reactions…
Details: Manning spared life sentence but could still face jail time with lesser convictions http://t.co/soIeCFlsjj
— NBC News (@NBCNews) July 30, 2013
Aggressive prosecution of Manning follows tepid prosecution of soldiers who massacred in #Haditha, elsewhere in Iraq. #dnlive
— Carwil Bjork-James (@CarwilJ) July 30, 2013
Remember, you can torture with impunity, but if you tell the public about torture and other criminal acts by government, you go to jail.
— Dan Gillmor (@dangillmor) July 30, 2013
CORRECTION: Had Manning been convicted of “aiding the enemy” would have set dangerous precedent for future dissemination of information.
— Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias) July 30, 2013
Wikileaks says Bradley Manning faces 136 years for the charges he was just convicted of. More reaction: http://t.co/ieWNo0j56d
— ABC News (@ABC) July 30, 2013
All in all at least, it’s good to know that he won’t be charged with the absolutely asinine crime of aiding the enemy, but the fact that he’s still being charged with espionage and faces as much potential jail time as he does, it alarming and offensive to democracy and liberty, as far as I see it. The Obama administration’s aggressive prosecution of whistleblowers takes a step back in some small measure with the acquittal of the “aiding the enemy” charge. It’s something.
Milam's Musings 
Not really. You might not understand how prosecutors work.They charge people with multiple offenses knowing they might not get a conviction on all counts. Zimmerman charged with murder 2 and manslaughter, other killers charged with murder one and murder two etc..
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It depends on the circumstances. Sometimes they think they just toss in the highest charge possible, but know they likely won’t get it. In this case, by all accounts, the government very much wanted to prosecute him for charge of aiding the enemy. It’s a bit of a blow to them, I’d say.
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Well if his sentence is lengthy, I just don’t see it being a blow. A harsh sentence will send a message and will most certainly be a deterrent to future document leakers.
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Good point.
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