Posted on 03/12/2013 2:45:33 PM PDT by Nachum
Today, Freedom of the Press Foundation is publishing the full, previously unreleased audio recording of Private First Class Bradley Manning’s speech to the military court in Ft. Meade about his motivations for leaking over 700,000 government documents to WikiLeaks. In addition, we have published highlights from Manning’s statement to the court.
While unofficial transcripts of this statement are available, this marks the first time the American public has heard the actual voice of Manning.
He explains to the military court in his own cadence and words how and why he gave the Apache helicopter video, Afghanistan and Iraq Wars Logs, and the State Department Diplomatic Cables to WikiLeaks. Manning explains his motives, noting how he believed the documents showed deep wrongdoing by the government and how he hoped that the release would "spark a domestic debate on the role of the military and our foreign policy in general as it related to Iraq and Afghanistan." In conjunction with the statement, Private First Class Manning also pleaded guilty to 10 of the 22 charges against him.
Freedom of the Press Foundation is dedicated to supporting journalism that combats overreaching government secrecy. We have been disturbed that Manning’s pre-trial hearings have been hampered by the kind of extreme government secrecy that his releases to WikiLeaks were intended to protest. While reporters are allowed in the courtroom, no audio or visual recordings are permitted by the judge, no transcripts of the proceedings or any motions by the prosecution have been released, and lengthy court orders read on the stand by the judge have not been published for public review.
(Excerpt) Read more at pressfreedomfoundation.org ...
Audio at link
about his motivations for leaking over 700,000 government documents to WikiLeaks. In addition, we have published highlights from Manning’s statement to the court.
Motivation is a non issue.
He did or he did not.
He did. There for he is guilty and should be stood against a wall and executed,
America has too many secrets for a republic.
Exactly. It was not for him to determine the validity of government policy. Because he did not like what the government or the military was doing does not excuse his release of classified information. He will be in Leavonworth for a long, long time.
Yeah, some point in the future, God willing, I’ll be an 80 year old man reading about a 60 year old Pvt. Manning still serving the US Army in a military prison.
The US Army absolutely F’ed up beyond belief by not shitcanning this cross dressing little faggot out of the Army in week two of basic training, I must say. They practically led him right into a high security clearance area and hazed him to the point of begging him to divulge secrets to the enemy. Just astounding the dereliction of duty by so many superiors of Pfc. Manning at every opportunity. I re-read it sometimes and still can’t believe it.
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