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| Defense Calls Manning’s Intentions Good | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| FORT MEADE, Md. — A defense lawyer for Pfc. Bradley Manning on Friday portrayed his client as “young, naïve, but good-intentioned” when he sent databases of secret documents about American military and diplomatic activities to WikiLeaks, and he urged the judge in his court-martial to be lenient when she decides his fate. | |
| A day after a prosecutor had delivered a closing argument portraying Private Manning as an “anarchist” and a “traitor,” David E. Coombs, the defense lawyer, offered a rival narrative. His client, he said, was a “humanist” and a “whistle-blower” who released only those sets of files that he believed would not cause harm but set off debate and prompt change. | A day after a prosecutor had delivered a closing argument portraying Private Manning as an “anarchist” and a “traitor,” David E. Coombs, the defense lawyer, offered a rival narrative. His client, he said, was a “humanist” and a “whistle-blower” who released only those sets of files that he believed would not cause harm but set off debate and prompt change. |
| “Is Pfc. Manning somebody who is a traitor who has no loyalty to this country or the flag and wanted to systematically harvest and download as much information as possible for his true employer, WikiLeaks?” Mr. Coombs asked, summarizing the prosecution’s contention. | “Is Pfc. Manning somebody who is a traitor who has no loyalty to this country or the flag and wanted to systematically harvest and download as much information as possible for his true employer, WikiLeaks?” Mr. Coombs asked, summarizing the prosecution’s contention. |
| “Is that what evidence shows?” he went on. “Or is he a young, naïve, but good-intentioned soldier who had human life and his humanist beliefs center to his decisions — whose sole focus was, ‘maybe I just can make a difference, maybe make a change?’” | “Is that what evidence shows?” he went on. “Or is he a young, naïve, but good-intentioned soldier who had human life and his humanist beliefs center to his decisions — whose sole focus was, ‘maybe I just can make a difference, maybe make a change?’” |
| Arguing that the latter narrative was the truth, Mr. Coombs cited what Private Manning, 25, wrote in Internet chats that he never knew would become public. For example, the lawyer said, in one set from shortly before Private Manning’s deployment to Iraq in 2009, he talked about how he felt an almost familial duty to all human beings and wanted everyone to be safe. | Arguing that the latter narrative was the truth, Mr. Coombs cited what Private Manning, 25, wrote in Internet chats that he never knew would become public. For example, the lawyer said, in one set from shortly before Private Manning’s deployment to Iraq in 2009, he talked about how he felt an almost familial duty to all human beings and wanted everyone to be safe. |
| “That is not anti-patriotic,” Mr. Coombs said. “That is something that is not anti-American. That really is what America is about — that we take everybody. That is the promise of the Statue of Liberty.” | “That is not anti-patriotic,” Mr. Coombs said. “That is something that is not anti-American. That really is what America is about — that we take everybody. That is the promise of the Statue of Liberty.” |
| There is no jury in the case, so Mr. Coombs directed his argument at the judge, Col. Denise R. Lind. | There is no jury in the case, so Mr. Coombs directed his argument at the judge, Col. Denise R. Lind. |
| He also played excerpts from an early file WikiLeaks released from Private Manning: a video of an Apache helicopter airstrike in Baghdad in which American forces gunned down a group of largely unarmed men on a street — including two Reuters journalists — and then shot up a van with children inside that pulled up to assist the victims. | He also played excerpts from an early file WikiLeaks released from Private Manning: a video of an Apache helicopter airstrike in Baghdad in which American forces gunned down a group of largely unarmed men on a street — including two Reuters journalists — and then shot up a van with children inside that pulled up to assist the victims. |
| “When the court looks at this, the defense requests that you not disengage, that you not look at this from the eyes of ‘this happened on a battlefield,’” he said, adding that those in the courtroom had just watched at least nine lives being extinguished. “Did they all deserve to die? That is what Private Manning is thinking as he is watching this video he is seeing and he’s questioning.” | “When the court looks at this, the defense requests that you not disengage, that you not look at this from the eyes of ‘this happened on a battlefield,’” he said, adding that those in the courtroom had just watched at least nine lives being extinguished. “Did they all deserve to die? That is what Private Manning is thinking as he is watching this video he is seeing and he’s questioning.” |
| Private Manning has already confessed to being WikiLeaks’ source for some 700,000 military and diplomatic documents that brought that organization global fame and notoriety after it began disseminating them through traditional media outlets — including The New York Times, for some of them — in 2010. | Private Manning has already confessed to being WikiLeaks’ source for some 700,000 military and diplomatic documents that brought that organization global fame and notoriety after it began disseminating them through traditional media outlets — including The New York Times, for some of them — in 2010. |
| He has pleaded guilty to lesser versions of the charges that he is facing that could expose him to up to 20 years in prison. But the government pressed forward with a trial on a more serious set of charges, including violating the Espionage Act and aiding the enemy. If convicted on those, he could face life in prison. | He has pleaded guilty to lesser versions of the charges that he is facing that could expose him to up to 20 years in prison. But the government pressed forward with a trial on a more serious set of charges, including violating the Espionage Act and aiding the enemy. If convicted on those, he could face life in prison. |
| Colonel Lind will take an undetermined amount of time to consider the evidence and come up with a verdict. | |
| After one break, Colonel Lind announced cryptically that someone had been banned from attending the rest of the trial over intimidating actions. She was apparently referring to Clark Stoeckley, a credentialed courtroom sketch artist who drives a truck emblazoned with messages of support for Private Manning and WikiLeaks. He wrote on Twitter: “I’m banned from the court-martial.” | |
| It was not immediately clear what happened. An Army official said a “member of the media” had been barred “for posting threatening messages regarding some of the court-martial participants.” The judge sealed the order, so no other details will be released. | It was not immediately clear what happened. An Army official said a “member of the media” had been barred “for posting threatening messages regarding some of the court-martial participants.” The judge sealed the order, so no other details will be released. |
| Mr. Coombs began his closing argument by ripping into the one delivered the day before by one of the prosecutors, Maj. Ashden Fein, as a false “diatribe” that relied on “child logic” to portray his client as nefarious. Over several hours, he marched through a close reading of the evidence in an effort to pick holes in the remaining areas of dispute, including whether the documents had a market value sufficient to justify certain theft charges, and whether the disclosure of their contents was truly harmful. | Mr. Coombs began his closing argument by ripping into the one delivered the day before by one of the prosecutors, Maj. Ashden Fein, as a false “diatribe” that relied on “child logic” to portray his client as nefarious. Over several hours, he marched through a close reading of the evidence in an effort to pick holes in the remaining areas of dispute, including whether the documents had a market value sufficient to justify certain theft charges, and whether the disclosure of their contents was truly harmful. |
| He also addressed the government’s theory behind several of the charges that have implications for investigative journalism — that by sending information to WikiLeaks for publication online where the entire world, including Al Qaeda, could read them, Private Manning aided the enemy. Mr. Coombs said WikiLeaks was a legitimate part of the news media that was “no different” than organizations like The Times, The Guardian or Der Spiegel that also publish information online. | |
| And where the prosecution had stressed the enormous volume of documents Private Manning leaked — some 700,000 — Mr. Coombs portrayed that number as small relative to the many millions he had access to on his classified computer system. He said that if Private Manning had not been selective and seeking to avoid harm, he would have leaked much more — like reports from confidential sources. | And where the prosecution had stressed the enormous volume of documents Private Manning leaked — some 700,000 — Mr. Coombs portrayed that number as small relative to the many millions he had access to on his classified computer system. He said that if Private Manning had not been selective and seeking to avoid harm, he would have leaked much more — like reports from confidential sources. |
| “He did give it to a journalistic organization,” Mr. Coombs said. “He did not act wantonly. He selected information he believed the public should know.” | “He did give it to a journalistic organization,” Mr. Coombs said. “He did not act wantonly. He selected information he believed the public should know.” |