Donald Trump lashed out at former intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning Thursday, calling her an “ungrateful traitor” for criticizing former president Barack Obama’s legacy a week after commuting her prison sentence.
Trump’s tweet appeared to be in reference to a column Manning wrote for The Guardian, published Thursday, criticizing Obama for not being bold enough during his presidency.
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“Barack Obama left behind hints of a progressive legacy. Unfortunately, despite his faith in our system and his positive track record on many issues over the last eight years, there have been very few permanent accomplishments,” Manning wrote in the article.
“This vulnerable legacy should remind us that what we really need is a strong and unapologetic progressive to lead us.”
Manning, a former U.S. military intelligence analyst behind the biggest breach of classified materials in U.S. history, slammed Obama for being a weak leader who compromised too much, in return facing “unparalleled resistance” from his opponents.
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“We need someone who is unafraid to be criticized, since you will inevitably be criticized. We need someone willing to face all of the vitriol, hatred and dogged determination of those opposed to us,” reads the article.
In his tweet, Trump said Manning “should never have been released from prison.”
But many were quick to point out that Trump repeatedly referred to Obama as a weak leader on the campaign trail.
“I think he’s been a disaster. He’s been weak, he’s been ineffective,” Trump said on Fox News in August.
On social media, several people also pointed out that Fox News used used the term “ungrateful traitor” and “weak leader” in a televised segment that aired shortly before Trump sent his tweet.
Obama commuted Manning’s 35-year sentence as one of his final acts before leaving office. The former president said he made the decision because Manning went to trial and took responsibility for her crime.
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The decision to commute Manning’s sentence was criticized by several Republicans, including House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan who called the decision “outrageous,” adding it set a “dangerous precedent” for those who leak classified materials.
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Manning was working as an intelligence analyst in Baghdad in 2010 when she gave WikiLeaks a trove of diplomatic cables and battlefield accounts that included a 2007 gunsight video of a U.S. Apache helicopter firing at suspected insurgents in Iraq, killing a dozen people including two Reuters news staff.
Manning is more than six years into her 35-year sentence. She is set to be released from prison in May.
– With files from The Associated Press
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