WikiLeaks Case Likened To Civil War Espionage [View all]

[struggle4progress]

January 9, 2013 12:49 PM

FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) — The defense says military prosecutors are drawing comparisons between an Army private’s alleged leak of classified documents to Civil War-era cases involving coded messages in newspapers ...

The issue is whether Manning’s motive is relevant to a charge he aided the enemy by sending reams of classified documents to the secret-sharing website WikiLeaks. The government contends Manning knew, or should have known, that the information would be seen by al-Qaeda.

Defense attorney David Coombs said Tuesday that prosecutors are citing Civil War-era cases concerning soldiers who placed coded messages in newspaper ads.

Coombs says Manning’s alleged offenses are more akin to providing government documents to a newspaper.

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2013/01/09/wikileaks-case-likened-to-civil-war-espionage/