Despite being acquitted on the charge of aiding the enemy, Bradley Manning is likely to spend the rest of his life in prison. That’s the good news. The bad? The not-guilty verdict may embolden others to place US lives in danger.
Which is just what Manning did — and why he was convicted of all but one of the 20 lesser charges at his court-martial yesterday for the largest theft of classified US material ever. Army judge Col. Denise Lind apparently accepted Manning’s claim that he never thought the huge trove of secret military and diplomatic documents he gave to WikiLeaks would fall into al Qaeda’s hands.
Manning’s fans are cheering the not-guilty verdict and hailing him as a whistle-blowing hero. Yet, as former Justice Department official John Yoo notes, Manning “gravely damaged our national security” by disclosing the names of intelligence assets, US tactics and diplomatic negotiations. The material he leaked was meant to hurt and embarrass America. It put lives at risk.
Manning may have skirted conviction on the top charge because he gave material to WikiLeaks, which calls itself a news outlet, rather than an enemy group. But that’s a thin reed on which to claim vindication or heroism. In this digital age, when groups like al Qaeda rely heavily on the Internet, Manning, an intel analyst, surely would have known it would see the material.
Bradley Manning wanted to “make the world a better place,” his lawyer claims. Instead, he made it more dangerous for Americans and others. He’ll deserve every last day he spends behind bars.