Army Pvt. Bradley Manning, who now is serving a 35-year sentence at Fort Leavenworth for leaking stacks of classified documents to WikiLeaks for publication, wants a pardon from President Obama for information he released that isn’t deemed so sensitive.
Manning’s attorney, David Coombs, said not all the information that his client was convicted over merits the same classification of sensitive or top secret. Mr. Coombs said Manning ought to be given a pass on prosecution for those files and has sent a letter to the U.S. Justice Department and the Department of the Army, seeking the pardon and accompanying sentence adjustment, The Associated Press reported.
As part of his argument and request for a commutation of sentence, Mr. Coombs included a statement from Manning.
“The decisions I made in 2010 were made out of a concern for my country and the world that we live in,” Manning said, adding that he regrets any actions that may have caused harm to America.
Manning is currently at Fort Leavenworth and has insisted his new name is Chelsea Manning. He’s trying to live in prison as a woman and has asked that the military approve his request to take hormone therapy at his own expense.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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