FORT MEADE, Md. – Lawyers for U.S. soldier Bradley Manning on Monday attacked his commanders’ decisions to send the young intelligence analyst to Iraq and maintain his top-secret security clearance despite his emotional outbursts and concerns about his mental health.
The 25-year-old Manning faces up to 90 years in prison for disclosing huge amounts of classified information through the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. He says he did it to expose wrongdoing. Prosecutors say the leaks hurt U.S. foreign relations.
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Manning’s lawyers opened their case Monday, presenting evidence of circumstances that they hope will bring a lighter sentence.
Manning’s brigade commander, Col. David Miller, testified that the brigade deployed in late 2009 with 10 to 15 per cent fewer intelligence analysts than the authorized number. But Miller denied feeling any pressure to take soldiers who should not have deployed.
“In a counterinsurgency fight, you can always use more,” he said.
One of Manning’s co-workers, Sgt. Daniel Padgett, has testified about sitting down with Manning for a “counselling session” after the soldier was late for work.
When Padgett tried to explain the importance of being on time, “his demeanour changed,” the former supervisor testified. He said Manning stood up and overturned a table, spilling a radio and computer onto the floor.
Padgett said he moved Manning away from a gun rack while someone else restrained him until he calmed down.
Padgett said he didn’t remember reporting what happened to his supervisors.
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