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April 25th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda
Pfc. Manning faces charges over his alleged role in stealing more than half a
million secret documents from a secure military network and passing them to
Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks.
Among the most serious charges is one count of aiding the enemy, a crime
that can lead to life imprisonment.
David Coombes, Pfc. Manning’s civilian defence lawyer, said prosecutors must
prove that the leaks actually “caused harm” if they are to convict
his client. While the government assessments remain classified, Mr Coombes
cited media reports from last year where anonymous US authorities privately
admitted that the WikiLeaks revelations had caused only “pockets”
of short-term damage.
The reports directly contradicted the Obama administration’s official position
that the leaks had caused “substantial” damage and endangered the
lives of American informants around the world.
In a densely legalistic hearing at the sprawling Fort Meade military complex
in Maryland, Pfc. Manning’s lawyers also demanded that government release
video footage reportedly showing the soldier stripped naked and interrogated
by Army authorities.
Following his arrest in Iraq in May 2010, Pfc. Manning spent eight months in
solitary confinement at a military prison in Quantico, Virginia. Part of his
defence strategy is to argue that this period represented “unlawful
pretrial confinement” and his lawyers said the alleged incident from
January 2011 supported their case.
Prosecutors insisted that there was no footage of the interrogation to hand
over.
Mr Coombes is also trying to force the government to turn over documents from
a grand jury convened in Virginia, reportedly to explore ways to prosecute
Mr Assange under American espionage laws.
Pfc Manning, who wore a formal dress uniform during the hearing, dismissed two
of the military lawyers assigned to his defence but offered no explanation
why.
Major Matthew Kemkes and Captain Paul Bouchard had appeared at his side at a
number of earlier hearings but the soldier told the judge that he wished to
replace them Captain Joshua Toomes, another military attorney.
Colonel Lind is expected to rule on Wednesday on a defence motion to have all
22 charges against Pfc. Manning dismissed on the grounds that the government
had failed to hand over relevant evidence to the case.
The defendant has not yet entered a plea to the charges.
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