Commutation for Chelsea Manning

KateSmash · Jan 17, 2017

President Obama on Tuesday largely commuted the remaining prison sentence of Chelsea Manning, the army intelligence analyst convicted of an enormous 2010 leak that revealed American military and diplomatic activities across the world, disrupted the administration, and made WikiLeaks, the recipient of those disclosures, famous.

The decision by Mr. Obama rescued Ms. Manning, who twice tried to commit suicide last year, from an uncertain future as a transgender woman incarcerated at the male military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. She has been jailed for nearly seven years, and her 35-year sentence was by far the longest punishment ever imposed in the United States for a leak conviction.

Now, under the terms of Mr. Obama’s commutation announced by the White House on Tuesday, Ms. Manning is set to be freed in five months, on May 17 of this year, rather than in 2045.

The commutation also relieved the Department of Defense of the difficult responsibility of her incarceration as she pushes for treatment for her gender dysphoria — including sex reassignment surgery — that the military has no experience providing.

[[SUB]SOURCE[/SUB]]

However one might feel about the leak, I am happy to see her out of a men's facility and hopefully recovering from the trauma that came with it.

Alessandra Kelley · Jan 17, 2017

Good. Incarcerating a woman in a prison for men was unconscionable.

MaeZe · Jan 17, 2017

Alessandra Kelley said:
Good. Incarcerating a woman in a prison for men was unconscionable.

Not to mention the isolation torture she was put through which always looked more like bullying than some justified act.

rugcat · Jan 17, 2017

Here's an interesting sidelight:

“If Obama grants Manning clemency Assange will agree to US extradition despite clear unconstitutionality of DoJ case,” WikiLeaks said on Twitter.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.inde...commutation-pardon-clemency-a7532441.html?amp

Will Assange follow through on his promise? I'm not holding my breath.

Rose_C · Jan 17, 2017

oh wow that is awesome. What she has been through is unconscionable.

What really moved me though was Edward Snowden's plea to Obama on behalf of Chelsea.

Edward Snowden ‏@Snowden Jan 11
Mr. President, if you grant only one act of clemency as you exit the White House, please: free Chelsea Manning. You alone can save her life.

kaylim · Jan 17, 2017

This needs to happen. I've been following this case for years. Manning was tortured and dehumanized in a brutal way as well as denied basic constitutional rights such as a speedy trial. She has already tried to kill herself more than once and was disgustingly punished for it. Furthermore the leaks had a HUGE impact on how the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were perceived from then on. Many government officials say she cost people's lives, but not a single one has been able to point to some actual evidence.

One of her leaks was a video that Wikileaks titled 'collateral murder' showing a helicopter gunning down civilians, journalists, and people who were trying to get the injured to the hospital. Why was she sent to jail for leaking this but nothing happened to the soldiers committing a war crime? As is typical with the US government's position on whistle blowers hypocrisy, dishonesty, and smear campaigns rule the day.

This is the short version of the video she leaked. WARNING: Not safe for work. Pretty violent. Difficult to watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogFZlRiTHuw

Roxxsmom · Jan 17, 2017

I'm really glad he's doing this. She's been through hell, and I was afraid she wouldn't survive for very much longer.

SWest · Jan 17, 2017

That's My President.

nighttimer · Jan 17, 2017

I'm not doing any handstands over Manning's release, but after two suicide attempts it was obvious she was deteriorating in a military prison. Obviously, this president gave that some serious consideration before pardoning Manning, a pardon his Defense Secretary Ash Carter opposed.

So do the Republicans, but while Paul Ryan is calling the decision "outrageous" he's been strangely silent over how Trump said he "loved" WikiLeaks.

Trump to Bill O’Reilly: “Wikileaks is amazing”

The problem is, Bill, I would hammer it, but the press doesn’t pick it up. The press is hardly even talking about Wikileaks. You now that. Wikileaks is amazing. The stuff that’s coming out, it shows she’s a real liar. She said, well, you have to say to the public and you have to say to your donors different things. Okay? The press doesn’t even pick this stuff up. You look at, where are you seeing it? [10/11/16]
Trump: “Wikileaks, some new stuff, some brutal stuff”

We have all of these new charges, did you see it just came down today? Wikileaks, some new stuff, some brutal stuff. I mean I’d read it to you but to hell with it trust me it’s real bad stuff. The speech transcripts contain scandalous revelations about Hillary Clinton that disqualify her from seeking public office. And she is. [10/10/16]
Trump says Wikileaks proves Clinton should not “be able to run for president”

No one who supports open borders should be able to run for president because we won’t have a country. And buy the way weeks ago I called out Hillary Clinton for supporting open borders and the media said I was wrong. Now I’ve been proven right. Where is the media rushing to correct these false stories? Because in the Wikileaks it was all about open borders. [10/10/16]
Trump: “Wikileaks. I love Wikileaks”

Wikileaks, I love Wikileaks. And I said write a couple of them down. Let’s see. During a speech crooked Hillary Clinton, oh she’s crooked folks. She’s crooked as a three-dollar bill. Okay here’s one. Just came out. ‘Lock her up’ is right. [10/10/16]
Trump: “You see so much from these Wikileaks. You see so much. There’s so much.”

It’s just the latest evidence of the hatred that the Clinton campaign really has for everyday Americans and you see, and you see so much from these Wikileaks. You see so much. There’s so much. [10/11/16]

Trump will doubtlessly hammer Obama for the pardon, but he's got zero credibility on the matter and that goes double for the Republicans.

cmhbob · Jan 17, 2017

Manning was not pardoned. Her sentence was commuted to time served, but the court findings still stand. She was still found guilty of some charges, pleaded guilty to others, and still faces a bad conduct discharge from the Army, with all of the side effects that brings.

Old Hack · Jan 17, 2017

rugcat said:
Here's an interesting sidelight:

https://www.google.com/amp/www.inde...commutation-pardon-clemency-a7532441.html?amp

Will Assange follow through on his promise? I'm not holding my breath.

If I remember correctly, Assange took refuge in the embassy because he didn't want to be extradited to Sweden where he's been charged with rape. He said this was because he was worried Sweden might then extradite him to the USA, where there's the death penalty. But Sweden won't extradite anyone to a country where they might face execution: they would insist on a guarantee that the death penalty would not stand before agreeing to it; and even if that wasn't the case, the USA has not indicated that it would ask for Assange's extradition if he landed in Sweden.

So Assange's whole justification for taking refuge in the embassy is a bit of a red herring, isn't it?

Sorry to veer this threat off-topic. It just seems bizarre to me.

(My son is at university just round the corner from the embassy where Assange is staying. Last year, when we visited him, we took a walk down to Harrods and ended up just outside the Assange balcony. We gave him a wave through the window and he looked terrified, and bolted out of view.)

Prince Anpiel · Jan 17, 2017

She deserves a lot more than this. She is a real American hero.

Diana Hignutt · Jan 18, 2017

As probably the only person here who actually knows and communicates with Chelsea, I can say with absolute certainty that Obama just saved her life. Maybe, I'll be able to meet her in person one day now. Classy move, Mr. President. My heartfelt thanks and gratitude.

DancingMaenid · Jan 18, 2017

I was so excited when I heard about this yesterday. I hadn't had a whole lot of hope that Obama would pull through on this, and the fact that he did is a nice ray of hope in an otherwise sad time.

Regardless of what you think of Manning's actions, her punishment has been grossly improportionate and the treatment she's received is appalling.

Frankie007 · Jan 18, 2017

so i looked up Commutation....and the definition basically said "reverse direction" that doesn't make sense here. someone wanna clarify for me? "reverse direction for Chelsea Manning"?

SWest · Jan 18, 2017

In this usage, it basically means that her prison sentence was changed from 35 years to seven.

Lauram6123 · Jan 18, 2017

Frankie007 said:
so i looked up Commutation....and the definition basically said "reverse direction" that doesn't make sense here. someone wanna clarify for me? "reverse direction for Chelsea Manning"?

From TheFreeDictionary.com

In Criminal Law, commutation is the substitution of a lesser punishment for a greater one. Contrasted with clemency, which is an act of grace eliminating a sentence or punishment, commutation is the modification or reduction of a punishment.

cmhbob · Jan 18, 2017

I also note somewhat cynically that Mr. Obama could have signed off on commutation or clemency at any point in the last three-and-a-half years. He could have ordered a halt to the proceedings as CinC. Yet he waited until the final 72 hours of his presidency to do so, and it's being lauded as a classy move.

I'm not bashing him or his decision. I've admitted recently that Mr. Obama's presidency was not as bad as it could have been in many areas. But I'm disappointed at the timing. The first petition was filed September 2013. If it was a good idea now, why wasn't it a good idea then?

SWest · Jan 18, 2017

There's no doubt she did what she did (as a pawn in a much larger game, it turns out). The rest of her consequences stand.

But, considering what she has endured to date, how much more would she suffer under this next administration?

MotherOfPoodles · Jan 18, 2017

cmhbob said:
I also note somewhat cynically that Mr. Obama could have signed off on commutation or clemency at any point in the last three-and-a-half years. He could have ordered a halt to the proceedings as CinC. Yet he waited until the final 72 hours of his presidency to do so, and it's being lauded as a classy move.

I'm not bashing him or his decision. I've admitted recently that Mr. Obama's presidency was not as bad as it could have been in many areas. But I'm disappointed at the timing. The first petition was filed September 2013. If it was a good idea now, why wasn't it a good idea then?

Perhaps because he believes she deserves to pay her debt to society for as long as possible--right up to the point where he can no longer guarantee her continued survival. For example, maybe a little birdie told him Trump wants her tossed into the general population? Is that even possible? I'm asking.

Diana Hignutt · Jan 18, 2017

cmhbob said:
I also note somewhat cynically that Mr. Obama could have signed off on commutation or clemency at any point in the last three-and-a-half years. He could have ordered a halt to the proceedings as CinC. Yet he waited until the final 72 hours of his presidency to do so, and it's being lauded as a classy move.

I'm not bashing him or his decision. I've admitted recently that Mr. Obama's presidency was not as bad as it could have been in many areas. But I'm disappointed at the timing. The first petition was filed September 2013. If it was a good idea now, why wasn't it a good idea then?

One could just as easily ask when didn't Lincoln issue the Emancipation Proclamation on day one of his term. The real answer to your question is that presidents usually wait to commute sentences until there is no political cost to them.

cmhbob · Jan 18, 2017

There wouldn't have been a political cost to him three years ago, either.

KateSmash · Jan 18, 2017

Not to him, no. But it certainly would have been used against Hillary Clinton and the Democrats running for Congress. It's sort of a problem when government is played like a team sport.

mccardey · Jan 18, 2017

cmhbob said:
I'm disappointed at the timing. The first petition was filed September 2013. If it was a good idea now, why wasn't it a good idea then?

I'll play, since you've assured us you're

not bashing him or his decision.

.

I don't know. Why do you think it wasn't a good idea to do it then?

Frankie007 · Jan 18, 2017

thanx SWest and Lauram6123

Commutation for Chelsea Manning

this was a triumph

Sophipygian

Lost in the Fog

Beastly Fido

In the garden...

No Gods No Masters

Did...did I do that?

Such a nasty woman

Very Tired

New kid...seven years ago!

In the garden...

Did...did I do that?

In the garden...

Very Tired

Did...did I do that?

this was a triumph