WIKILEAKS PROSECUTOR ACCEPTS Manning's PLEA TO 1 COUNT

[Ichingcarpenter]

FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) -- Prosecutors say they will accept an Army private's guilty plea to a lesser version of one of the 22 counts he faces.

Maj. Ashden Fein said Tuesday that prosecutors had changed their minds about trying to convict Pfc. Bradley Manning with violating the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act in connection with the release of a cable known as Reykjavik-13.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MANNING_WIKILEAKS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-05-21-12-11-02

[msanthrope]

1. Sloppy AP reporting--is the prosecution taking the naked plea, or is this a negotiated plea?

Either way, it clears the decks for the bigger charges.

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. 1100 days of captivity and NOW the pros. gives up?

The only reason they are keeping that one count is so he can't sue, methinks.
And he pled guilty to that 'lesser charge" back in Feb.

Hope Manning will write an expose'.

[msanthrope]

3. They are keeping 21 counts. The prosecution is not giving up--the most serious charges remain.

On edit---the plea was accepted on Specification 14 of the updated charge sheet...

Spec. 14: 18 U.S.C. § 1030(a)(1): The State Dept cable named "Reykjavik-13"

21 counts remain, although it's possible the prosecution agrees to shave off a few more.

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. Ohhhhh....that AP story was not at all clear.

I just read it again and it sill can be taken 2 ways, IMO.

[msanthrope]

5. Well, it's the AP!! I'm betting the prosecutors shave off another few charges

and trial goes ahead on the most serious ones---he offered a naked plea on 10 charges, and I wouldn't be surprised if the government accepts all or most of them. That leaves about a dozen that can give him up to life in prison.

[msanthrope]

6. Seal Team Six member is testifying against Manning---

The most unusual stipulations apply to a member of the team that raided al-Qaida's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan in 2011 and killed Osama bin Laden. The squad member will testify that he removed digital material from the compound that was later found to have contained WikiLeaks documents apparently requested personally by Bin Laden.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/10/bradley-manning-bin-laden-raid-testify

Stipulations that Manning has accepted--

In Tuesday's proceedings, Manning accepted through what is known as a "stipulation of fact" that the government had evidence that Bin Laden had taken a close personal interest in the material published by WikiLeaks. Manning has agreed not to contest the fact that when the Navy Seals left the compound they took with them several items of digital media that included a letter from Bin Laden to a member of al-Qaida, requesting that the member gather Department of Defense material posted to WikiLeaks.

The stipulation that Manning has accepted says that the digital items also contained a letter to Bin Laden from the same al-Qaida member to which the Afghanistan "war logs" – one of the most famous products of the WikiLeaks disclosures – were attached. Department of State information released by WikiLeaks was also among the Abbottabad discoveries.

The judge presiding over the court martial, Colonel Denise Lind, issued a ruling in which she outlined how classified information could be used during the trial. She said that within limits the prosecution could use classified documents to show that the material Manning transmitted to WikiLeaks could potentially be damaging to US interests.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/21/bradley-manning-wikileaks-suspect-aided-enemy