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Analyzing the Prosecution Case in the Bradley Manning Trial
The prosecution in the Bradley Manning court martial rested their case on Tuesday of this week, well ahead of schedule, taking only 14 days in the courtroom. A casual observer might think the prosecution finished early because they have an easy job: Manning has admitted to leaking the vast majority of documents in question, and he’s already pleaded guilty to a list of crimes on his charge sheet that could get him 20 years in a military prison.
But Manning and his defense team argue his actions don’t warrant the most serious charges against him, the most controversial being ‘Aiding the Enemy.’ That could get him life in prison.
In its opening statement, the prosecution put a graphic up on a courtroom screen— It was the Wikileaks “Most wanted list,” a wish list posted on their website in 2009, the year before Manning began leaking documents. Chief prosecutor, Captain Joe Morrow, said the government would show that Manning used it as a ‘shopping list,’ and they would show even more direct coordination between Manning and Wikileaks’ founder Julian Assange. But we saw little of that in court.
“They have no forensic evidence connecting that- what they have is circumstantial evidence,” according to Adam Klasfeld, who has been covering the court martial at Fort Meade, Maryland, for Courthouse News. He says the prosecution’s own experts have been unable to deliver evidence Manning had followed directions, even in-directly, from Wikileaks. The forensic analyst called by the prosecution “didn’t find any visit to the [Wikileaks] URL,” on Manning’s computer, and didn’t find any evidence of communication in the “unallocated space,” on Manning’s computer, the area where deleted e-mails would remain. Klasfeld says the prosecution argued the lack of material in the unallocated space was suspicious. “So in the absence of that evidence, the government’s theory was that Manning had wiped his computer, and so that’s why it wasn’t found there,” he says.
What the government did show was uncontested evidence that the leaked material made it into the hands of Al Qaeda, citing Al Qaeda propaganda, and records recovered from Osama bin Laden’s Abbottabad compound. But Eugene Fidell, who teaches military justice at Yale law school says even this connection is indirect.
“I think the government’s effort on the aiding the enemy charge was basically predicated on circumstantial evidence,” he says. “And if you connect—if you could put enough dots on the chart—the theory is that the Military judge would almost inevitably connect them.”
But as Fidell points out, the prosecution has not been able to provide as many dots as promised in their opening statement. “One thing that teaches is the danger of making promises in an opening statement that you can’t keep,” he says. “As it played out, I think the government may have concluded it either had made the demonstrated by circumstantial evidence or it decided it hadn’t, and couldn’t, and that may explain why they didn’t call many of the witnesses they said they were going to call and why they… wrapped up the prosecution case well before anyone anticipated.”
Bradley Manning’s team is scheduled to begin their defense on Monday, but Fidell expects that over this holiday weekend they will be drafting a new motion to dismiss the charges against the 25-year-old private.
via Analyzing the Prosecution Case in the Bradley Manning Trial | @pritheworld.
The WikiLeaks Truck Is Still Rustling Jimmies at Bradley Manning’s Trial
Artist Clark Stoeckley, the owner of the mobile performance art piece known as the WikiLeaks truck, is one of a handful of activists and reporters that consistently attend Bradley Manning’s trial, which resumed today. Even so, guards at Fort Meade weren’t sure what to think when earlier today Stoeckley cruised up to the base in his truck.
“Dressed as a redneck, I went up to all of the NSA and Army guys photographing “What the Hell is up with this truck?” tweeted Stoeckley, along with a photo of one agent. “They were dumbfounded.”
Given that the US military has banned army personnel from looking at anything related to WikiLeaks, it’s no surprise that military personnel may have been unsure how to deal with a guy driving up in a WikiLeaks box truck. One blogger has called Stoeckley’s constant presence at Fort Meade a “symbolic slap in the face,” and it’s clear he’s at least made his presence known. Earlier this month, canine units searched his truck before Stoeckley was given permission to park on the base, and whenever he enters or leaves the base he is accompanied by a police escort.
In a brief phone interview, Stoeckley explained that the army personnel “descended on the truck” following a “change of command ceremony.” He then proceeded to “play with them” by asking them seemingly naive questions like “What is this about?”
“They were like, ‘It’s the Manning trial, and I was like, ‘Who is Manning?’” laughed Stoeckley. “Some were laughing, some were pissed, and it was really confusing to them why my truck was on the base and how it got there,” he added. “It was the topic of conversation while they were going back to their cars.”
Besides giving rides to activists from New York City to Fort Meade, Stoeckley also draws the courtroom proceedings and uploads them to Flickr, making him a well-known fixture at Manning’s trial. In fact, he announced his illustrations and first-hand accounts would be published in a book to be released this upcoming October.
Dealing with authorities while driving around in his truck is nothing new for Stoeckley. Back during the height of Occupy Wall Street, Stoeckley’s truck was seized, searched and temporary lost by police, for example.
As of this writing, Stoeckley’s truck is still rustling the jimmies of guards and NSA guys at Fort Meade. And so far, Stoeckley’s seemingly gentle trolling of Fort Meade appears to be a healthy give-and-take between the artist and law enforcement: While speaking to me over the phone, an officer was writing Stoeckley a ticket.
By Fruzsina Eördögh 10 hours ago
Tags: bradley manning, WikiLeaks
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via The WikiLeaks Truck Is Still Rustling Jimmies at Bradley Manning’s Trial | Motherboard.
Bradley Manning – What the Papers are saying
| Bradley Manning WikiLeaks Court-Martial Enters Third Week Huffington Post BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. Prosecutors are moving quickly through the court-martial of Pfc.Bradley Manning. The former Army intelligence analyst is charged with aiding the enemy. He has acknowledged sending reams of government secrets to … See all stories on this topic » |
| Bradley Manning’s Trial, Day 7 (Live Updates) Firedoglake I think there’ll be a ruling from the judge on the admissibility of the 2009 WikiLeaks “Most Wanted” list. Numerous stipulations of testimony are expected in military court at Fort Meade during the seventh day of Pfc. Bradley Manning’s trial. The focus … See all stories on this topic » |
| WikiLeaks trial focuses Army email list KTAR.com … email addresses an Army private allegedly downloaded to a personal computer could be used by foreign adversaries to launch cyberattacks on service members, a government witness said Monday as the trial of Pfc. Bradley Manning entered its third week. See all stories on this topic » |
| Belfast anti-G8 protesters show support for Bradley Manning Belfast Telegraph Comments. Email; Print; Font Size. Protesters opposed to next week’s G8 meeting of world leaders have held up placards spelling out the name of US soldier Bradley Manning, suspected of passing classified information to website Wikileaks. Comments. See all stories on this topic » |
| Julian Assange Lawsuit Over Bradley Manning Secrecy Argued In Federal Court Huffington Post BALTIMORE — Lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange duked it out in federal court on Monday with the government over whether the press and public have enough access to records in the court-martial of Bradley Manning, the Army private first class … See all stories on this topic » |
| Dispute over documents in the case of Bradley Manning heads to federal court … Washington Post BALTIMORE — A dispute over public access to court records in the military trial of Pfc. Bradley Manning is moving from a military court to a civilian one. The New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights initially petitioned an army court in 2012 … See all stories on this topic » |
| Manning list ‘could prompt attacks’ Belfast Telegraph … of troop names and email addresses a US army private allegedly downloaded to a personal computer could be used by foreign adversaries to launch cyber attacks on service members, a government witness said as the trial of Bradley Manning entered its … See all stories on this topic » |
| Public access fight over Manning docs in Md. court The Seattle Times Public access fight over Manning docs in Md. court. A government lawyer said Monday the U.S. Army has released the vast majority of court records in Pfc. Bradley Manning’s case and told a civilian judge the dispute over the records had become moot. See all stories on this topic » |
| Maryland: Manning Trial Looks at Address Disclosures New York Times Prosecutors laid the groundwork on Monday for trying to prove that Pfc. Bradley Manning gave WikiLeaks the e-mail addresses of more than 70,000 troops deployed in Iraq, a charge to which he has pleaded not guilty. As Private Manning’s trial at Fort … See all stories on this topic » |
| Manning’s WikiLeaks trial enters 3rd week Times of India FORT MEADE, Maryland: The trial of Bradley Manning now focuses on leaked documents related to the US prison at Guantanamo Bay. The former Army intelligence analyst is charged with aiding the enemy. He has acknowledged sending thousands of … See all stories on this topic » |
| Oliver Stone Calls Edward Snowden a Hero Hollywood Reporter Stone went on to praise the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, and whistle blower Bradley Manning. He condemned president Barack Obama’s administration for prosecuting six whistleblower cases despite campaign promises of a more progressive … See all stories on this topic » |
| WikiLeaks Founder Goes To Court For Access To Bradley Manning Trial Docs Bayoubuzz Physical access to hearings has not been at issue, but the military judge overseeing the case, Col. Denise Lind, has kept transcripts and crucial court motions locked away. The secrecy prompted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, along with other … See all stories on this topic » |
| David Brooks, Tom Friedman, Bill Keller Wish Snowden Had Just Followed Orders Huffington Post Manning was not working out as a soldier, and they discussed keeping him back when his unit was deployed to Iraq,” biographer Chase Madar writes in The Passion of Bradley Manning. “However, in the fall of 2009, the occupation was desperate for … See all stories on this topic » |
| Stand With Snowden! Free Bradley Manning! Close Guantánamo! Scoop.co.nz (press release) Activists supporting whistleblowers Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden, and calling for the closure of the U.S. prison at Guantánamo, will demonstrate at Senator Feinstein’s office in reply to Feinstein’s remarks accusing Edward Snowden of “treason … See all stories on this topic » |
| Public Access Fight Over Manning Docs in Maryland Court The Epoch Times This undated photo released Tuesday, June 4, 2013 by the U.S. Army shows a noose Pfc. Bradley Manning made from a bedsheet while he was being detained in Kuwait shortly after his arrest in May 2010. The photo was presented as evidence at a hearing … See all stories on this topic » |
| NOW PLAYING AT ART THEATRE: ‘We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks’ Long Beach Post History will forever link WikiLeaks and PFC Bradley Manning, and We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLinks will be one of the defining documents on this binary system, jointly responsible for history’s biggest leak of state secrets. And while writer … See all stories on this topic » |
| Legal Events to Watch This Week Wall Street Journal (blog) This week: The trials of James “Whitey” Bulger, George Zimmerman and Bradley Manningcontinue, and the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to deliver a blockbuster or two. Monday, June 17. • The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue orders and opinions. See all stories on this topic » |
| Medina Roshan, REUTERS Welland Tribune U.S. Army Private First Class Bradley Manning enters the courtroom for day four of his court martial at Fort Meade, Maryland in this June 10, 2013, file photo. 12, 2013. REUTERS/Gary Cameron/Files. Tweet · Bookmark and Share. Change text size for the … See all stories on this topic » |
| Manning’s WikiLeaks court-martial enters third week SCNow Posted: Monday, June 17, 2013 6:46 am. Manning’s WikiLeaks court-martial enters third week Associated Press |. FORT MEADE, Md. — Prosecutors are moving quickly through the court-martial of Pfc. Bradley Manning. The former Army intelligence analyst is … See all stories on this topic » |
| Why do people lie and why do others believe them? Newsroom Panama Meanwhile the names of Bradley Manning, Robert Snowden and Julian Assange are known around the world as whistle blowers extraordinaire , hailed by millions, hated by authorities. We are bombarded with lies every day from politicians, advertisers, … See all stories on this topic » |
| WikiLeaks breach included secret details on Guantanamo prisoners: official WHTC Data released by Private First Class Bradley Manning included biographical material on Guantanamo prisoners, details of their religious affiliation, and names of their relatives with extremist links, Rear Admiral David Woods, who ran the Guantanamo … See all stories on this topic » |
| Coalition bipartisan on treatment of Assange Manning River Times But she added that the trial of US Army private Bradley Manning might “cast further light on whether WikiLeaks breached any US laws in obtaining that information”. Mr Assange has lived at the Ecuadorian embassy in London for a year, having been granted … See all stories on this topic » |
| Oliver Stone Says Edward Snowden Is a Hero Hollywood Reporter Stone went on to praise WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and Bradley Manning, and condemned President Barack Obama’s adminstration for prosecuting whistleblowers. SHANGHAI – Outspoken director Oliver Stone brought thunderous applause to of … See all stories on this topic » |
| AP PHOTOS: Chilean torture center becomes shelter NBC 29 News Manning’s WikiLeaks court-martial enters 3rd week · Manning’s WikiLeaks court-martial enters 3rd week. Prosecutors are moving quickly through the court-martial of Pfc. Bradley Manning.Full Story. Prosecutors are moving quickly through the court-martial … See all stories on this topic » |
| McCain presses Obama on secret emails WGCL Atlanta Prosecutors are moving quickly through the court-martial of Pfc. Bradley Manning.More >. A huge database of troop names and email addresses an Army private allegedly downloaded to a personal computer could be used by foreign adversaries to launch … See all stories on this topic » |
| Question motives of Snowden, writer Las Vegas Sun If public opinion is that Snowden’s actions deserve whistle-blower protection while Pfc. Bradley Manning is being tried for treason, then public opinion (as usual) is mistaken. It’s questionable that Manning and WikiLeaks jeopardized our national … See all stories on this topic » |
| Experts doubt intel-leaker Snowden qualifies as whistleblower under federal law The Republic Pfc. Bradley Manning is being court-martialed for giving sensitive diplomatic cables, videos and reports to the website WikiLeaks. The soldier’s case is stirring interest anew in Daniel Ellsberg. A former RAND Corp. military analyst, Ellsberg stood … See all stories on this topic » |
| Obama’s One-Way Mirror Truth-Out This problem of one-way transparency is exemplified by how the government is dealing with the most important criminal trial involving leaks of classified information since the Pentagon Papers: the court-martial of Bradley Manning. The government has … See all stories on this topic » |
| Whistle Blowers, Deep States, and Sunlight Asbarez Armenian News Daniel Ellsberg (The Pentagon Papaers), Sibel Edmonds (Turkish money in U.S. politics), Julian Assange/Bradley Manning (Wikileaks), and now Ed Snowden (NSA-phone-gate [that’s my invented term]). These are among the best known of the leakers who … See all stories on this topic » |
| On Second Thought Deseret News Ellsberg: We note the excused absence of Pfc. Bradley Manning. We’d also like to welcome our newest member, Edward Snowden! Snowden: Thank you. Julian Assange: Welcome, although I knew you’d be here. Snowden: How’s that? Assange: I took the … See all stories on this topic » |
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