skin that little sh!t alive, then set his wretched azz on fire...
Posted on 06/07/2010 9:48:14 AM PDT by jazusamo
A U.S. Army intelligence analyst serving in Iraq has been arrested by federal officials for allegedly leaking classified information to the online whistleblower site Wikileaks, according to a Wired blog.
Specialist Bradley Manning, 22, of Potomac, Md., is reportedly the source of the controversial video of a 2007 American helicopter strike that claimed the lives of several bystanders. Wikileaks published that video in April.
Manning reportedly became a target of the investigation after boasting of leaking more than a quarter of a million classified documents to former hacker Adrian Lamo, who reported him to the Army. Lamo claimed, via his Twitter account on Sunday evening, that he did so out of concern for national security.
"I outed Manning as an alleged leaker out of duty. I would never out an Ordinary Decent Criminal. There's a difference," Lamo tweeted. "I'm heartsick for Manning and his family. I hope they can forgive me some day for doing what I felt had to be done."
According to chat transcripts provided to Wired, Manning claimed to have collected and leaked a wide range of classified information to Wikileaks. They included a video showing the 2009 Garani airstrike in Afghanistan that Wikileaks has said before it possesses, a classified Army document discussing Wikileaks as a security threat that the site published in March, and 260,000 classified U.S. diplomatic cables.
“Hillary Clinton, and several thousand diplomats around the world are going to have a heart attack when they wake up one morning, and find an entire repository of classified foreign policy is available, in searchable format, to the public,” Manning wrote, claiming the cables expose “almost criminal political back dealings."
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange tweeted early Monday that "If Brad Manning, 22, is the 'Collateral Murder' & Garani massacre whistleblower then, without doubt, he's a national hero." He also referred to Lamo and Wired reporter Kevin Poulson, who broke the story, as "notorious felons, informers and manipulators."
Assange also claimed the Washington Post had the "Collateral Murder" video of the helicopter attack for more than a year but did not release it to the public.
The Pentagon on Monday released the following statement: "United States Division-Center is currently conducting an investigation of Spc. Bradley Manning, 22, of Potomac, Md., who is deployed with 2nd Brigade 10th Mountain Division, in Baghdad, Iraq.
He was placed in pre-trial confinement for allegedly releasing classified information and is currently confined in Kuwait.
The Department of Defense takes the management of classified information very seriously because it affects our national security, the lives of our Soldiers, and our operations abroad. The results of the investigation will be released upon completion of the investigation."
It’s good news he was arrested. My question is this. With SO many leaks under President Bush, why were none of them arrested? Was a serious effort even made to find out who they were? Just curious.
Good question. It looks like the only reason this guy was busted is that someone ratted him out but I’d bet this is far from being the whole story.
Wow, how does a SPC have access to this much intel? Was he a datadink or something? Man, is his ass gonna be sore for a long time. Hint to Brad, whistleblowers are not welcomed when Dems own the WH. Its a fact stupid.
It was a deep and ongoing frustration with me that so many leaks occurred under Bush. They all hurt him and/or the military. I don’t remember the perp walk of a single leaker. It seems like if you make a high profile example of one, the rest might think twice. Fwiw.
Video of terrorist being shot/blown up = War Porn.
Video of bystander being shot/blown up = State Secret.
I don’t think so.
maybe the pay was right
I couldn’t agree more. If they’d bust them and hit them with max sentences it would go a long way in drastically slowing it down.
The treasonous fifth column. So young to be leaking so many documents. Almost sounds like he joined up to work from within to dig.
People have wondered how enlisted people could throw their careers away with this or that act. There are numerous examples of traitors serving in the ranks of our military and they aren't all Islamists.
I would not be surprised to see him get 20 years of hard-time. The Army is going to nail him to the wall to make an example out of him since he is not a protected minority.
You know that’s what Netanyahu would do. The more I watch him in action, the more I wonder why it’s so hard for us to find and elect his counterpart. He stands up for his country, and he lauds and fully supports the bravest of his troops. If somebody in the IDF leaked classified information...let’s just say it would suck to be him/her.
Then you look at Obama. WTH?
It’s up to the military to classify documents and enforce those classifications, not the public. This type release gives aid and comfort to the enemy and I know so.
The shadow government is unelected and serves to counteract the elected administration when they see fit. It isn't out of "dedication to truth justice and the American way". Communists have served, Islamists have served. Infitrate and do what it takes.
Made me wonder if the Abu Ghraib scandal was instigated by such a saboteur. Certainly the photos were leaked to the media when one of the participants unsuccessfully tried to blackmail the government (he tried to negotiate a plea bargain and when that failed, out when the images).
It sounds like he had some decent skills and the high-secruity networks are not designed for attacks on the inside very well. It looks like there will be some more openings for Cyber Corps.
I certainly hope you’re right and believe you are.
The leaker got ratted out by the news media only because he released diplomatic cables of Hillary Clinton.
He’d still be leaking docs if he only released Bush info...
Yes, but the shadow government would have been watching their backs if Bush had appointed a Special Prosecutor, or the equivalent, every damn time a leak spilled. All you’d have to do is catch one and make a big deal out of hitting him/her with the maximum penalty, and the shadow government is put on notice.
Hats Off to Lamo.
LLS
One factual objection: It is not clear that any “innocent bystanders” were killed in the attack. Arguably all those killed could have been associated with the terrorist who were the legitimate targets.
They turned the McCarthy/Cohn investigation of the fifth column within the State Department and Military around and accused McCarthy of faking a photo and gave out some gay-baiting barbs at Roy Cohn who was homosexual.
They don’t take kindly to having their patriotism questioned. They may be guilty but they won’t sit back and be called out on it.
Sadly classification authority is vested in the President by law and his delegates. His delegates include the service secretaries, who further delegate to certain commanders.
Absolutely agree. Manning made the decision they were innocents and the enemedia backed him almost 100%, it wasn't his decision or the enemedias to make.
You’re correct, as CINC he has the authority. I doubt he or his subordinates would have declassified this though it’s hard to know for sure with him.
Do you have any confidence in the FBI?
Hang him high!
No, but I did mention the option of a special prosecutor. If the Valerie Plame nonstory/fiasco warranted one, why didn’t the leakage of information that put our troops in danger?
What’s weird is that the clip that Wikileaks was touting as “collateral murder” isn’t that much different than stuff you’d find on Liveleak or Youtube or good “war porn” sites like Apacheclips.com. The video itself isn’t anything special, it’s the way that Wikileaks twisted it into being “collateral murder” when in reality, it’s nothing of the sort.
Then again, if this guy really has dumped that much classified material out the door? Put him *under* Leavenworth and throw away the key.
}:-)4
bfl
If true, Brad Manning is going to become very familiar with Ft. Leavenworth.And if he gets what he deserves, Spc Manning will soon be known as the “Long Necked Hack Brady…”
I fully agree that that’s what he deserves, it would send a strong message to other traitors considering espionage.
Ping.
Betrayal by one of our own. Hang him.
Some who knows about Military Justice- am I correct in assuming that this is a capital crime given it occurred during time of war and the perpetrator was in uniform?
If this is the case, then they really need to make an example of him and try it as a capital crime and sentence him to death. Even if it is strung out for years it will certainly make some others think twice about treason in the future.
It is a real shame that Aldrich Aimes, that FBI Spy and the Walkers’s were not executed.
skin that little sh!t alive, then set his wretched azz on fire...
I am always divided on this one. I think these traitors should get the worst punishment we can possibly hand out to them. But at the same time, what about somebody who blows the whistle on dangerous unconstitutional machinations of an unpatriotic govt-in-power (like....Barry for example). Should we be cheering them on? Wasn’t this traitor also about blow the whistle on some Hillary documents as well? Would we have been a little happier about his many unpatriotic activities in that case? Or am I contradicting myself? I just think, the idea of whistle-blowers being given the capital punishment is not a given, though in this case this idiot hurt the troops so certainly has it coming.
I was AOL emailed a video of two Iraqis with a Donkey. I happened to know where that video originated. I called the OIC in to see it, he said “Oh our Donkey video.”
I said yes, that it was taken in your SECRET facility and is now being sent on the Internet. Someone compromised it.
He said “Oh.” I am not sure was action he took, probably none. I was a just a scumbag contractor at the time.
Hell, now I have to worry if I was the guy that read him on and signed his SF 312 while at Ft. Huachuca.
My brother trained with this guy at Ft Huachuca - same MOS, my brother’s in Iraq right now and posted this story on his Facebook page yesterday saying how disgusted he was with this scumbag.
ping
I never saw Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 but from what I gather, he’d been counting on “scooping” the Bush re-election effort with some similar footage of abuse with different participants but the Abu Ghraib media coverage (of a criminal PROSECUTION which was already long underway) beat him to the punch.
Then hang him.
What was he? 98B? 98E?
E I think but I’m not sure. Whatever it was his training there has served him well and although he’s looking forward to getting home this summer he’s been proud of what he’s doing over there.
Yeah buddy.
LLS
Let me get this straight. The CRIMINAL turned in the traitor as TOOOO traitorish?
Thanks for the ping, KC. BTW, they are almost done with those barracks.
I wish I had picked up those buildings. Could have visited more.
As it turned out we got projects at Sill, Ft Lewis and Leonard Wood. I am in charge of Leonard Wood. May get more work there as the year progresses.
Say hi to your hubby for me and let us know what local SV gossip says on this.
Anyone who purposely leaks top-secret information which jeopardizes our national security should spend the rest of their lives in prison. And if any Americans or our allies get killed because of the leak, the leaker should be shot by a firing squad or hung by the neck until dead.
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