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| WikiLeaks Source Put Soldiers at Risk, Prosecutor Says | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| FORT MEADE, Md. — A military prosecutor told a judge on Monday that Pfc. Bradley Manning was no ordinary leaker, as the court-martial opened for the former Army intelligence analyst who has confessed to being the source for vast archives of secret military and diplomatic documents made public by WikiLeaks. | FORT MEADE, Md. — A military prosecutor told a judge on Monday that Pfc. Bradley Manning was no ordinary leaker, as the court-martial opened for the former Army intelligence analyst who has confessed to being the source for vast archives of secret military and diplomatic documents made public by WikiLeaks. |
| “This is a case about a soldier who systematically harvested hundreds of thousands of classified documents and dumped them onto the Internet, into the hands of the enemy – material he knew, based on his training, would put the lives of fellow soldiers at risk,” said the prosecutor, Capt. Joe Morrow of the Army. | “This is a case about a soldier who systematically harvested hundreds of thousands of classified documents and dumped them onto the Internet, into the hands of the enemy – material he knew, based on his training, would put the lives of fellow soldiers at risk,” said the prosecutor, Capt. Joe Morrow of the Army. |
| But a defense lawyer for Private Manning told the judge that his client had been “young, naïve, but good-intentioned” and that he had, in fact, tried to make sure that the several hundred thousand documents he released would not cause harm. | But a defense lawyer for Private Manning told the judge that his client had been “young, naïve, but good-intentioned” and that he had, in fact, tried to make sure that the several hundred thousand documents he released would not cause harm. |
| “He was selective,” said the defense attorney, David Coombs. “He had access to literally hundreds of millions of documents as an all-source analyst, and these were the documents that he released. And he released these documents because he was hoping to make the world a better place.” | “He was selective,” said the defense attorney, David Coombs. “He had access to literally hundreds of millions of documents as an all-source analyst, and these were the documents that he released. And he released these documents because he was hoping to make the world a better place.” |
| The dueling portrayals underscored the oddity at the heart of the trial, which is expected to last as long as 12 weeks. There is no doubt that Private Manning did most of what he is accused is doing, and he has already pleaded guilty to 10 charges for that conduct, for which he could be sentenced to up to 20 years. | The dueling portrayals underscored the oddity at the heart of the trial, which is expected to last as long as 12 weeks. There is no doubt that Private Manning did most of what he is accused is doing, and he has already pleaded guilty to 10 charges for that conduct, for which he could be sentenced to up to 20 years. |
| But his plea was not part of any deal with the government, and prosecutors are moving forward with the trial because they hope to convict him of a far more serious set of charges, including violating the Espionage Act and aiding the enemy, that could result in a life sentence. | But his plea was not part of any deal with the government, and prosecutors are moving forward with the trial because they hope to convict him of a far more serious set of charges, including violating the Espionage Act and aiding the enemy, that could result in a life sentence. |
| Private Manning sat quietly in the courtroom during the opening statements. A government official said his aunt — whose home in Potomac, Md., he visited in the midst of his 2009-10 deployment in Iraq, when he downloaded the documents – was in the courtroom, along with a cousin. He spoke briefly earlier in the day, reaffirming to the judge, Col. Denise Lind, that he still wanted a trial before her alone rather than a jury. | Private Manning sat quietly in the courtroom during the opening statements. A government official said his aunt — whose home in Potomac, Md., he visited in the midst of his 2009-10 deployment in Iraq, when he downloaded the documents – was in the courtroom, along with a cousin. He spoke briefly earlier in the day, reaffirming to the judge, Col. Denise Lind, that he still wanted a trial before her alone rather than a jury. |
| The opening of the trial drew a far larger crowd of supporters and reporters than the hearings on pretrial motions over the past six months. Dozens of supporters, holding signs with pictures of Private Manning and “Free Bradley” messages, stood in the rain at the main entrance to Fort Meade, near Baltimore, where the court-martial is being held. | The opening of the trial drew a far larger crowd of supporters and reporters than the hearings on pretrial motions over the past six months. Dozens of supporters, holding signs with pictures of Private Manning and “Free Bradley” messages, stood in the rain at the main entrance to Fort Meade, near Baltimore, where the court-martial is being held. |