The Briefing Room
General Category => Military/Defense News => Topic started by: mystery-ak on January 18, 2017, 03:02:57 pm
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Pentagon Head Clashed Fiercely With Obama Over Manning Release
Posted By Jonah Bennett On 8:40 AM 01/18/2017
Defense Secretary Ash Carter strongly opposed President Barack Obama’s decision to commute the sentence of former Army soldier and transgender person Chelsea Manning, in effect allowing Manning to walk free on May 17.
A U.S. official said that Carter opposed the decision in no uncertain terms, even though the administration in the end pushed the move through for two main reasons, the first being that Manning had already served seven years and the second that Manning showed remorse and accepted responsibility, according to ABC News.
On defense-related matters, Obama has repeatedly run up against the recommendations of those he has tapped to lead the Pentagon, which is one of the reasons why he’s been through four different secretaries of defense.
Manning, a former Army intelligence analyst, was convicted and sentenced in 2013 to 35 years in prison for leaking hundreds of thousands of documents about U.S. military’s activities in Afghanistan and Iraq to WikiLeaks.
While in prison, Manning has suffered from poor mental health and has attempted suicide twice.
Chase Strangio, attorney for Manning, said that it’s possible the commutation saved Chelsea’s life.
more
http://dailycaller.com/2017/01/18/pentagon-head-clashed-fiercely-with-obama-over-manning-release/