There is an ongoing military investigation. I'm sure that military prosecutors are evaluating Manning's liability beyond what he's already been charged with, specifically to see if he might qualify for the additional charge of Art. 106a-Espionage, which of course carries with it the possibility of a death sentence.
For several reasons, military prosecutors as well of the chain of command (to include the President and his subordinates), don't make public pronouncements with respect to criminal investigations. Why? Because of something known as Unlawful Command Influence (UCI), which can be grounds for reversal on appeal.
However, the Congress is not tethered by such legal constraint. They can investigate, and say whatever they wish without jeopardizing Manning's prosecution. I'm sure when the new Congress is installed, this will be the first order of business as far as hearings are concerned.
Got this heads up from a friend in the Army
The Government is tracking and watching anyone who accesses the Wiki leaked data. Even googling it will add you to a list.
All military has been ordered to not look at it and DOD Civilians are also ordered not to view it.
I hope a credible investigation occurs at some point, somewhere. It’s hard to believe that one unstable private could come up with this idea on his own. However, said private does seem to have been a gay activist, and some of these gay organizations specialize in digging up dirt on their opponents and spreading it lavishly, so possibly he was sort of a natural for doing something like this.
He got away with it simply by being beneath notice; I remember the time a shoe-shine guy in New York was sued for insider trading because he had made himself a millionaire listening to the conversations of the Wall Street brokers whose shoes he shined. The brokers considered him beneath notice and said all sorts of things in front of him, which he was clever enough to use. (He was found not guilty.)
I am a little puzzled by Obama’s silence on this whole thing, however. He doesn’t have to make any comments on the case, which could possibly prejudice it, but he has been conspicuously removed from it, as if it were happening to another country that was not his own and that he didn’t really care about. Well, come to think of it...
That’s fascinating information.
In general I agree with you. I’d like to point out, however, that in matters of espionage the goal is not to secure conviction, mind you highest possible conviction. The goal is to smoke out the spies and moles.
In this respect UCI is irrelevant. Lots of time spies go free as a part of a larger deal.
Another point - Administration knew about leaks at least since the beginning of this year. Did nothing and seemingly continues to do exactly that (other than complaining).
Focusing on a patsy smells to high heaven.
I hope as you do that the new Congress will set a different tone.