President Barack Obama commuted the prison sentence of Chelsea Manning on Tuesday, allowing the Army intelligence officer who leaked scores of classified documents to go free nearly three decades early.
Manning, who will leave prison in May, was one of 209 inmates whose sentences Obama was shortening, a list that includes Puerto Rican nationalist Oscar Lopez-Rivera. Obama also pardoned 64 people, including retired Gen. James Cartwright, who was charged with making false statements during a probe into disclosure of classified information.
"These 273 individuals learned that our nation is a forgiving nation," said White House counsel Neil Eggleston, "where hard work and a commitment to rehabilitation can lead to a second chance, and where wrongs from the past will not deprive an individual of the opportunity to move forward."
The actions are permanent, and can't be undone by President-elect Donald Trump. White House officials said Obama would grant clemency to more individuals on Thursday — his final day in office — but that batch was not expected to include prominent individuals like Manning.
A former Army intelligence analyst, Manning has been serving a 35-year sentence for leaking more than 700,000 classified government and military documents to WikiLeaks, along with some battlefield video. She was convicted in military court in 2013 of six violations of the Espionage Act and 14 other offenses and has spent more than six years behind bars. She asked Obama last November to commute her sentence to time served.
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Obama loves anything or anybody who hates AMERICA.
ReplyDeletehe wasnt a traitor. he revealed the collateral murder that they were covering up.
ReplyDeleteOne way to make this right is for the out going loser, do the remaining time.
ReplyDelete9:17 AM Manning didn't hate America, he hated the lies, murder and corruption. He did not join the armed forces to kill over money and oil.
ReplyDeleteHe knew the truth and revealed it.
Educate yourself.
You sound like an ignoramus.
whistleblower yes, traitor? no. o'brownbomb done this because he thought it would be a slap to America's face.
ReplyDeleteHe's gonna pardon the Hildabeast next. I think Obama is toying with us and will wait until the very last minute to pardon her.
ReplyDeleteHe's trying to soften us up for pardoning Hillary. Whether he really can or not, I think he's planning on giving it a try.
ReplyDeletehe cant pardon her because she hasnt been convicted yet
ReplyDeleteHe's got a Job at the Mustang Ranch !!!
ReplyDeleteHe stopping over to Bruce Jenner's house !!
ReplyDeleteIt just makes it easier for Obama to pardon Hillary, after he's commuted the sentence of a convicted traitor to the country.
ReplyDeleteOne traitor to another.
ReplyDeleteI just don't understand why people condemn this person, or any other person, for just telling the truth and exposing the lies our government is involved with. Kill the messenger because the Emporer has no clothes?
ReplyDelete